Danger Zone Part 1: Harmony is Broken
by FoxySneak
Summary: Kyla is downright terrified of AOT- so when she's somehow whisked away to Eren's world of bloodshed and tragedy, she isn't sure she'd survive. But what happens when she witnesses the deaths, gets filled with vengeance, makes new friends and enemies, and possibly finds a little romance? Part 1 of a possible series. Rated T for gore/language. Now available on Wattpad!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

hi! This is yours truly, Foxysneak! And before you begin to read my aot/snk fanfic, I'd just like to give you some heads up:

1. This may contain spoilers for those who haven't yet reached episode 16 in the anime.

2. It will not go along with the storyline after about chapter 5, so please do not review telling me that this didn't happen.

3. I wasn't sure of multiple names, since there are many different ways people use/spell them! So if I spell a name the way you don't, it's probably because we use them different ways.

4. Please no hate/negative reviews. This is my story therefore it does not have to go the stay you want.

Ok! Now enjoy! :)

* * *

**1**

I wake up, screaming. My face is lined with sweat and my eyes are widened. I still remember the Titan's smiling face before he ate me. I shiver all over, pulling up my covers to hide my tear-stained face. Ever since my sister Olive had shown me that disgusting show, I've been having nightmares every night. I hate it.

Olive comes bursting into my room, her face filled with concern. She slowly walks in. "You okay, Kyla?" she asks. She pulls her blonde hair behind her ears, like she does when she's nervous. She sits at the rim of my bed and asks me again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, barely audible. "Just- just a nightmare."

"Okay," Olive says uncertainly. She gets up and grabs the door handle.

"You sure you're okay?" I nod.

She gives me a look of concern before shutting my room door and I'm left in darkness again, except the moon glowing into my room. I get up and rip the curtains closed. I remember in my dream a Titan had come to my window. I wince and try to think of brighter things, like my band concert tomorrow. Yeah. Abruptly the wind starts to pick up outside. I peak out the window just to make sure no Titans have suddenly appeared outside, and let out a breath of relief when I see our backyard in completely empty. I laugh a little. I'm going crazy. There's no such thing as Titans. No such thing as those big monsters that eat humans for dinner. I go back to my bed and thankfully get back to bed.

* * *

"So guys, daddy's been able to hitch up a ride to some newly discovered ruins upstate," our father says enthusiastically. "How would you guys like to help me explore them?"

I put down my fork, even though I haven't eaten anything. I haven't been able to do anything since the nightmare. It seemed- more realistic that the others, somehow. More downright terrifying.

"Kyla?" mom speaks. She pokes me with her spoon. "You okay? You haven't touched your breakfast."

"Fine," I say quickly. I made Olive promise not to tell mom and dad about the nightmare the minute I got up. I made her swear it. So when she looks at me with a pleading expression I shake my head slightly.

"So, waddaya think, gals?" Dad asks persisting. He is a archeological detective, as he likes to call himself. He is the one they call in for to investigate newly discovered archeological finds, and usually we all go along with him, too. It's fun for family outings. Pays well, too.

"Sure," Olive says, leaning in. "I'd love to. But we'd have to be home in time for Kyla's concert, remember?" I blink. That's right. How could I forget? What's wrong with me?

"Don't worry,we'll be home plenty before then. It's just a few shattered buildings out in a field. Nothin' to worry to much about," my dad says cheerfully. "You up to it, Kyla?"

I nod. Good. Something to get my mind off of- you know what. I roll my shoulders and stand up.

"I'm gonna go get ready if that's okay."

"That's fine," mom says uncertainly. "You okay, honey?" Ugh! I'm sick of hearing those two words! I bite my lip to keep from saying a few nasty remarks, but instead say, "I'll be fine once I get changed."

I hurry to my room and grab a Oklahoma Homie sweatshirt out with a pair of ripped up jeans. Typical weekend-exploring outfit. I remember the last time where I made the mistake of taking my favorite pair of checkered pants along with the trip and ended up getting a bunch of rips in it from a miniature rock slide. Not only were my favorite pants ruined but my knees were shredded for weeks. I slip the outfit on and grab my sneakers before my door bursts open. I whip around and see Olive standing there.

"Excuse me!" I say, thinking of how this would of ended up if she came in any earlier. "Knock much?"

Olive sighs and backs up to the door, sarcastically knocking, which she knows sets off my nerves. Welcome to the life of having an older sister. It sucks.

"What?" I say, tying the laces of my sneakers and perking up.

"What is with you?" She snaps, placing her hands on her hips. "Why were you acting so strange at breakfast. You usually love these trips!"

I clench my fists at my sides. "Like you don't know." "Actually, I don't, so could explain yourself?" her blue eyes glisten in that way in which she means business.

I sigh and blurt, "That stupid show! Attack on Titans!"

She smiles and bursts out laughing. "Okay, first, it's Titan, not Titans, and second, why the heck would that bother you? You read the Hunger Games. That ain't much worse."

My jaw drops. "Yeah, read. Not watch. Visuals are much more effective. You know how I refused to watch the movie. I can't stand blood. Or death. You know that!"

Olive grins and almost laughs. She grabs the doorway to balance herself from doubling over.

"What's so funny?" I demand, putting my hands on my hips. "You're admitting you're scared of it," she murmurs.

I blush and shake my head wildly. "N-no! It's just distrubing!"

Olive winks at me. "Right. See you in the car, Kyla." Then she walks out, with nothing else to say.

* * *

"Okay, crew! We got two houses to explore in roughly 2 hours!" dad exclaims when we drive off the road into a feild of long green grass. I squint and see in the distance two shattered buildings, one completely caved in, the other standing but just barely. When we reach it, dad squeals.

"Never seen anything like this!" he exclaims, adjusting his glasses. "Lets get to work!"

"Mom and I will take the standing one," Olive says immediantly, eyeing me. I scowl at her.

"Okay, then. Kyla and I will take the one over there," dad says, gesturing towards the ruined one. "See ya in about a half-hour for check in."

"Okay," Olive replies, saluting him like a captian. Then literally drags mom away to the standing building. It must be old- I haven't seen the style around. Tall and rectangular, with grey bricks, wooden poles shooting up the corners, and a red roof. And somehow it seems familiar. I shrug it off and head towards the shattered house with dad trailing behind me.

"Well, would you look at this!" he says in awe. The thing that collasped the roof it a perfect rectangular brick about the size of a mini-van. Looks like part of a wall, in fact. But that couldn't be- there's nothing but open feild for miles, and no sign of a previous standing wall. Again, I shrug this off.

We continue to examine the building when dad suddenly shouts in surpirse, "I found a way in!" I trot over to where he is and see what must of been the doorway, but it's crushed to about the size of a car window. He tries to kneel down and crawl in, but he's too big. He looks at me and smiles.

"Kyla, could you by any chance fit in there?" I roll my eyes, smiling, and crawl in effortlessly. I always love these types of senarios, where I am atucally useful. I shout at him I'm okay.

"If you hear anything creak, warn me, okay?"

"Okay." I crawl down a narrow passage until I find what might of been the kitchen. I can stand up but have to duck a little, so I do that. There's an old fashioned cookstove and a wooden table that collapsed.

I begin to wonder how people just discovered these buildings, even when they're out in the open. Jeez.

I crawl into a different room that attatchs onto the kitchen and find a bed that is perfectly made. I'm about to crawl back out when something shiney catches my eye. I crawl to the bed and find a perfect gold key with a diamond shape at the top. It's attatched to a worn brown string. Must of been the house key, I think. I slip it over my head, just in case it's real gold and it could mean some money. I manage my way back to the kitchen, ready to get back to the doorway, when the whole floor shakes violently. I gasp and brace myself for the roof to come tumbling down, but it doesn't. Was it a min-earthquake?

"Dad?" I call out. No answer. My breathing quickens.

"Dad!" I shout this time, frantic. Did something fall on him? Is he okay? Then my heart shoots up to my throat as I hear footsteps. Huge, rumbling footsteps. My heart pumps fast. What is going on?!

"Dad?" I whsiper this time. The footsteps stop. I hold my breath. Then I hear a horrible crunching noise behind me, and I turn around. I wish I hadn't turned around.

There, grasping onto a hole in the house, is a giant human hand, five fingers and all. I scream at the top of my lungs and scramble to get to the doorway. I trip and scrap myself multiple times, but my goal is to get away and fast. The way the hand is lifting the roof makes the doorway crunch closed. I bang at it, screaming for anyone. The roof is lifted, and I take a glimpse out to what did, expecting maybe thise wacko crane or something.

But no. I wish I hadn't looked. A huge smiling face is staring at me, white teeth glistening. I scream, even louder than before, so much that my throat hurts. It blinks. This is why is was so familiar. The house. The wall. Oh, my god. No, this is just a nightmare. I'm still sleeping. La, la, la! But then the Titan reaches inside to get me, and I scramble to my feet, grabbing anything to bat it away. But it's giant fingers close around me and lift me off my feet.

"No! Please, no!" I yell hoarsely. Tears are streaming down my face, wetting the Titan's hand. It doesn't seem to notice. I scream and kick and bat and hit, but it keeps lifting me to its mouth. No. No...

Suddenly, I hear a whooshing sound. The Titan hesitates for a second, and then I see it. A flash of brown and white, two long cords attaching behind the Titan. It jerks, and then starts to fall. I scream. It's going to fall right on me! But suddenly two hands are grabbing me violently and I'm pulled from the dead Titan's grasp. It's a human! Oh, thank god! He has brown hair and brilliant green eyes that light up his pale face-

"You okay?" he asks, swinging onto the standing building. Hold up. I don't see my dad's Jeep anywhere. Instead, I see a vast plain with several houses close to us, all in perfect shape except the one I was pulled out of. And then I look behind me- Walls. A big, huge wall, that extends for miles. I look away, awestruck, and gasp for air. I just realized I haven't breathed in a long time. The boy places me down on the roof. I look at him, at my new surroundings- what is going on?! Where's mom and dad?! Where's Olive?!

"Hello?" the boy says, waving his had in front of my face. I blink and nod slowly.

"Where- where am I?" I barely say. I'm still in shock. That's when I fully recognize the boy. He has on the same brown jacket and white uniform with straps and all with the bungi-cord thingies those people used in the anime. And he's the boy who's mother was eaten. Eren Jaeger. I choke. I'm in that bloodshed anime. Oh. My. God.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

I don't remember much after being dropped off on that roof. I remember certain images, like how blue the sky was, how Eren had carried me back down after I stopped responding. Then things sorta went black after that.

I wake up to the rattling of horse's hooves. I jolt up, scared for a second it was a Titan, but then calm down when I realize I'm in the back of a wagon, a green blanket tossed carelessly over me. I groan and try to sit up.

"She's up!" someone calls, a man who is watching me. I look off the back of the wagon and see we are far from the buildings now, they're only a speck in the distance. Otherwise, it's a great plain with a tree here or there. Nothing special.

I look over and and see another person lying down beside me. But he must be asleep, since he's not moving. But upon closer inspection, I see he's not breathing.

I scream wildly, surprised my voice is back. The man watching me widens his eyes at me as I try to get as much distance from me and that corpse. I being crying again and wrap the blanket around me protectively. Like that's going to help. I'm in a world with huge man-eating monsters. A blanket will defiantly not help me now.

The man is given a horse and rides away. It's just me and the dead body for a while until someone rides up to the wagon and jumps onto it from his horse. It's Eren again.

"I heard you scream," he says blankly. Then he sees the corpse. "Oh. Sorry. I told them to move it. Guess they didn't listen." He scratches the back of his head awkwardly. I must look weird in my jeans and T. Nothing like the uniform everyone else is wearing.

"I'm Eren Jaeger," he informs me, sitting across from me. "Who are you?"

"Kyla," I blurt. Then I suddenly start crying again for no reason.

"Why are you crying?" he asks.

I wipe my tears away with the blanket. "It's just- I don't know where the hell I am! Or why I'm here! I was just exploring with my dad and-"

"How'd you get outside the walls?" Eren questions.

"What walls?" I say. The only walls I remember seeing was back there next to the mini-village of houses. Where I almost got eaten. A cold shiver runs down my spine.

Now I'm really wishing I paid more attention to the episode Olive showed me.

"You honestly don't know?" Eren says. "Do you knwk anything?"

"Well, yeah," I say defensively. "I know that I was all most eaten alive by that- monster back there." I scowl. "And that I was on a investigation trip with my family a few hours ago before this happened."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

He leans onto the wagon's side. "Well, you have a lot to learn then."

"Tell me, then!" I blurt. Jeez, get it together, Kyla! "Um, so I can understand."

Eren opens his mouth to say something, when at that exact second someone calls out for him. I peak over the wagon's edge to see who it is, and it's a band of people, one fairly tall with ashy blonde hair, another a girl with a huge ponytail of red-brown hair and glasses, another a man shorter than the other with black hair, and another a girl with shortish brown hair. There's others beyond them but I can't see at the moment. Eren looks at me and shrugs.

"Sorry, not now," he says. "Maybe later if I get the chance." By the way he says the last part, I'm guessing it'll be a while. So I huddle in the corner of the wagon with the dead person not a few feet away from me and begin to doze off.

When I come to my senses, I'm still on the hard wood of the wagon, rattling away. I open one eye and see the corpse is still there, so I turn to the back and expect to see the peaceful plain stretching out before me.

It's the exact opposite. Titans of all sorts are running towards us, and judging by the laughing of my driver, they haven't noticed.

"Titans!" I screech at the top of my lungs. The driver turns and sees them.

"Crap," he mutters, holding up a gun. What will a gun do any good?! I almost shout at him to aim it at the titans when he shoots, red smoke shooting up a good 100 feet into the air. Surrounding us, the message is carried. I grip the sides of the wagon, hoping they'll send out people to slay them and everything will be okay.

Then, all a sudden, a giant set of feet is running next to us. I scream, but the driver hands the reins of the horses to me.

"Keep them running! No matter what!" he yells, and then shoots one of his cord thingies at the Titan and launches himself flawlessly onto the Titan's neck. I watch in awe. As he whips out his blades and prepares to end it-

When the Titan reaches back and grabs him. He screams, both swords falling to the ground helplessly. I watch in terror as the Titan lifts the man to it's mouth. I can't bear to watch. So I turn away. But I'll always remember the sickening crunch sound of the Titan's teeth snapping the man's bones in half. Tears slip down my face. I didn't even know his name.

I will the horses to go full speed ahead. At this rate we might be able to outrun the smaller Titan that ate the man- ugh-, but judging by how fast the ones behind it are running, they'll catch up. So I look around frantically for one of those gun thingies, hoping someone will get the message and come help me. I can't win this fight alone.

I fire another red one. I wish they could be SOS signs instead. But I keep willing the horses and contantly looking back at the approaching Titans. I shiver at the thought if they caught up. I would die.

Then, I see something smaller coming ahead. I sigh with relief when I realize it's another rider, coming straight towards us. Who I don't know, but on approach it seems to be a boy with bright blonde hair. When he gets near, his eyes widen at the Titans behind me, but he keeps pressing towards me. When he reaches me, he jumps onto the wagon.

"What are you doing?!" I shout, waving my arm at the Titans.

"I know," he says quickly, fumbling through all the smoke-guns. When he finally settles on one, he shoots it. This time it's black smoke instead of red.

He jumps back into his horse, then slashes at the wooden poles connecting my horses with the wagon so the wagon containing the dead body rolls away.

"Get on a horse, quick!" he orders, already speeding ahead on me. I do, feeling a little guilty to leave the other behind, but to my surprise it follows me. I've never truly ran on a horse before, though I've ridden them trail riding. So it's a bit nerve racking. But I follow the boy until we eventually lose the Titans for now. I breath out.

"What was the black smoke for?" I ask after a long silence.

"It means an Aberrant has been spotted," he explains. "Red means regular Titans, green means changing course."

"What, are we on some mission or something?"

The boy turns to me and smiles. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

I shake my head.

We continue to ride until we spot someone ahead. I squint my eyes to see who it is, then blink away in horror.

Dead bodies. Millions of them, some just hands and feet, others headless. All blood. So much blood... I lean over and wretch over the side of my horse until nothing's left of my little breakfast. The boy looks at me, and turns away.

"We're meeting up with Jean a few miles from here," he says quietly, seeming not disturbed by all the dead, half-eaten bodies surrounding us. "From there, we have to get you to Levi's Squad."

"What?" I ask. "Who's Jean? Who's Levi."

He turns back to me. "I just realized! Sorry. I'm Armin, and Jean is the boy that I've been traveling with since we saw..." and then he trails off.

Armin. Wasn't he Eren's best friend or something? I shrug and keep the horses going. "Saw what?"

Armin doesn't look at me. "I don't want to overload you on details since you barely know anything, but we spotted a female Titan."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why is that such a big deal?"

"Because they're not supposed to be male or female. They're just, genderless, I guess. But this one was obviously female."

I nod, even though I'm even more confused than I was. What's so different about a female Titan anyway? Not like its better or worse. They're all bloody murders.

"Up ahead!" Armin yells, and I squint to see a boy, taller than Armin and maybe a big older, come out of the bushes. He waves us down and smiles with relief when he sees us. This must be Jean, then. Tall and muscular with ashy red hair. When he sees me, he narrows his eyes.

"Armin, who the hell is this?" he asks suspiciously.

"Don't worry, she's harmless," Armin says. "She's the girl Eren rescued."

"Oh," Jean says simply. He looks at the extra horse I'm carrying. "Mind if I take that one? Mine ran off."

"Yeah, sure," I say, leading the horse to Jean so he can mount it. Once we're all settled, Armin announces the plan: "We meet up with Levi's Squad in about 15 minutes. Then we'll hand off you..." he looks at me questioningly.

"It's Kyla," I say quickly.

"Right," Jean says, riding up to us. "So what do we do after then, Armin? What about that female Titan that almost squashed you?"

Armin blushes. "She did not! She just lifted my hood. That's it!"

"Hold up, hold up!" I say, waving my arms. "It didn't eat you?"

"No," Armin replies. "That's why I think it's a human inside a Titan's body."

"What?!" I screech.

"Less talk, more riding," Jean complains, cutting me off. "Let's hand over this no-brainer and get back into formation as quickly as possible.

"Right," Armin says, sending me a apologetic look. I turn away and kick my horse to start running. I get a good 20 feet ahead of them before they finally start up.

I breath out. Second time I was almost killed by Titans. And judging by the looks of things, it certainly wouldn't be my last. What if I died out here? And I need got home. Shut it, Kyla. I'm getting home. I don't care how long it takes. I'll get out of this hell before I die.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

The sun was laying low in the sky before we saw a speck of people riding before us. Jean sighed with relief, which really annoyed me, because I don't know what I ever did to him, and Armin pointed at them.

"That should be the squad," he says. "After we drop you off, Jean and I will have to go back to our positions."

I nod. "Well, thanks for saving me back there. I should probably thank Eren for saving me too."

Armin blushes. "Anytime. I can't watch innocent people die when I can do something to help. You know?"

"Yeah," I say, and turn my focus on the group ahead of us. When we're close enough, Armin shouts out Eren's name and several of the group members turn around to face us. They slow down their horses so we can catch up. When I do, I instantly spot Eren, who is being guarding in the middle of the group, which contains five other people.

"This is her?" a man with a black undercut, his eyes squinting at me. Or is that just normal?

"Yes, sir," Jean says, gesturing to me. "I don't get why you want her her, though, she doesn't know a damn thing-"

"I didn't ask for your opinion," the man says, turning to Armin. "You and Jean can now return to your original positions."

Armin nods, and then does this salute thing where he places his left fist above is heart. Jean does the same, and then they're both off.

"Hello!" a man, this one looking a it older with blonde hair the same as the other man's. He turns his horse so we're facing each other.

"New here, aren't ya? Well, I got some news for you! If you even dare try anything, you're-" and then suddenly his horse steps forward and he bites down on his tongue, blood splattering everywhere. I gasp and back away. He laughs.

"Get used to it," a woman with ginger hair whispers while the man is still laughing. "Oluo thinks everything is hilarious." Then she holds out her hand. "I'm Petra Ral."

I take it wearily and say, "Kyla."

She smiles. "You've met Eren, right?" Eren perks up at the mention of his name.

"Eren, you're the one that rescued her, right? You must know each other."

He nods. "I heard some Titans attacked you."

"Yeah," I reply. "My driver-" I stop there before I get all weepy an teary. Eren and Petra understand.

"His name was Walter, I believe," Petra says. "He was a good man."

"Come on!" the man with the black hair calls out abruptly, cutting out our conversation. He rides to the front of our group. "Let's get moving."

Petra nods. "That's Captian Levi. He's the commander of this squad, so I recommend just sticking with what he says."

Soon we're all riding again. I look around at my new companions. Eren and Petra seem pretty nice for the most part. I honestly don't know what to make of Oluo. He seems cocky. Levi I have absolutely no idea what to make either.. he's more on the quiet side for a commander. And I don't even know the other two's names. I shake my head and stop thinking about it. No need for additional stress, because that would help a lot. Instead I try to picture where we're even going. I don't even know where we're going.

Suddenly, I hear a familiar gunshot. The whole squad looks up and we see several black smoke towers looming over the vast plain. My heart thumps. Didn't Armin say black smoke meant an Aberrant has been spotted? Maybe it's that female Titan they were chatting away about. Who knows? I just hope these guys are decent Titan-slayers.

When the sky got dark and it wasn't safe to ride anymore, a green smoke cloud was seen several miles ahead of our group. Then others went off, including the one Levi set off to notify whoever shot the first one. Apparently this meant to hunker down for the night. I'm glad, cause riding bare-back on a horse all day long is really exhausting.

I slide of my horse and tether it to a nearby tree, letting the rope be a bit loose so it can graze and I can yank it off fast if I have to. Then I walk over to the group, who've made a little camp. They're handing out food from a small backpack. I sit at the edge of their little camp awkwardly.

They all know each other. I don't know a thing about them, except maybe their names. I wrap the blanket I saved from the wagon around me, wishing they'd start a fire. But that would probably attract Titans, so they're being smart.

"Here," someone says, handing me a piece of bread. It's Eren again.

"Thanks," I say, taking the bread. "For everything. I owe you one."

Eren motions for me to come sit with the group, and I shake my head. "I'm fine here."

Eren sighs. "The squad wants to get introduced. They're real eager to meet the girl that has somehow either gotten over the walls undetected or amazingly lived outside the walls all 5 years."

I open my mouth to tell him it's neither, but I bite my lip and instead stand up and follow Eren to the group, who is laughing at something. When they see me, Petra smiles at me. I take a seat between her and Eren.

"So," the other man with blonde hair says. "What's your name?"

"Kyla," I say.

"I'm Eld," he says, then points to the black haired man. "That's Gunther. That's Oluo and Captian Levi-"

"I know," I say quickly. "Petra told me."

Eld nods. Gunther speaks up. "So we've heard you have no idea where you are or what you're up against. Is this true?"

"Yes," I reply. "I- woke up in that building were I almost became Titan food."

"I see," Oluo says. "I almost didn't let Eren get you, ya know. We all heard your pitiful, little baby screams. They were sure loud, weren't they, Levi?"

Levi looks up. "They were loud, no question about that. But they sounded more like a dying duck than a crying baby. At least babies sound human."

I bite my lip, blushing. So what if I didn't sound human? I bet he didn't sound human either when he first saw a Titan.

"Well, our objective right now is to fill you in with as much info as you can take right now," Gunther says matter-of-factly. "There's no way we could return you to Wall Rose when we've made this much distance. There would be no point."

"But I'll bet money that you won't be coming back," Oluo replies. "30% of our trained troops did anyway every time we leave the walls. And you're not even trained."

"Oluo!" Petra exclaims, slapping him on the shoulder. "You don't need to get the girl worried!"

I clench my teeth. He did get me worried. It's true- I'm not trained, I'm not experienced, except with maybe 2 times almost being eaten by Titans. I'll be a burden for everyone, probably.

"What," I start, barley audible. I clear my throat. "What are my chances of surviving anyway?"

Eld speaks first. "Well, if you were to be left alone, probably close to zero. But you're in the hands of the special operations squad, so they're probably higher than some soldiers."

"I wouldn't say that," Levi says, speaking in his low and mysterious tone. "She could very well be dead by morning if she doesn't react in time to a Titan coming." He pauses. "I'm not going to be the one to swoop her up onto my horse if it happens."

I feel like slapping him, but instead I ignore him and ask, "So what are we doing, anyway? Some sort of mission?"

"Yeah," Eren replies, scratching the back of his head. "We're trying to get back to my old home back at Wall Maria, where we could discover secrets of the Titans we've never known before."

They all nod. "Recently, Eren helped us re-take Trost single-handedly," Petra says.

"Trost?" I question, giving her a confused look.

"That's a district along Wall Rose that was recently invaded by Titans," Eld explains. "The Colossal Titan destroyed the gates of the wall just like they had Eren's home five years ago."

My head is spinning. Colossal Titan? I must of looked very confused, because Gunther takes a big breath and begins explaining the basics to me.

"Don't overload her on this crap," Levi says wearily. "She wouldn't understand. You might as well start from the basics."

Petra blushes. "Sorry, Kyla! I keep forgetting you have no idea... it's just not something you stumble upon every day!" She pulls back her ginger bangs and nods. "Levi's right. We should start with the basics."

"How much do you know?" Gunther asks.

I dig into my mind, trying to recall anything I remembered from the first episode Olive showed me. What should I share that would make me seem normal and what should I not share so I don't sound like a stalker? Defiantly not Eren's mother's death. That would surly sound like a stalker. Maybe I should tell them I know about the fall of Wall Maria? That should be general knowlage.

"I know about the fall of Wall Maria," I murmur softly. They all nod. "And about how this big Titan smashed the gates."

"The Colossal Titan," Eld says, nodding his head.

"Yeah," I say. "That's about it."

Oluo laughs. "Ha! Well, you sure have a lot to learn in about one night!"

"Tell me everything," I blurt. Where did that come from? I never realized the urge I had to get answers.

"Um, where to start?" Petra asks herself. "Ah! Well, you should know about the three walls!"

"Maria, Rose, and Sina," Levi recites. "In that order from outermost to the dead center." He catches my eye. "Got that?"

"Yes," I say. "Sir."

"And that we had to abandon Wall Maria after the breach by the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan," Eld says. "The Colossal Titan is a deviant titan exceeding 50 feet in height. The Armored Titan is one that seems to have 'armor' covering its whole body, therefore making it seemingly impossible to beat."

I look at Eren. Talking about the fall of his home must be uncomfortable. So instead I move onto a different subject. "So what's this whole 'Eren retaking Trost single-handedly' stuff about? Was their wall breached too?"

"Yes," Petra says. "Eren was-" she pauses, searching for a suitable word. "-eaten by a Titan on that day."

My jaw drops. I glance over at him. Eaten? Then how could he possibly be alive?! I look at Petra, wondering if they're just playing jokes on me. But her expression is anything but joking. Same with everyone else.

"I wasn't there to experience it, but," she sighs. "He turned into a titan that day. That was the day he figured out his abilities."

I laugh. "You aren't serious. Tell me you're not serious." I look at Eren. "Tell me she's gone completely bonkers."

"It's true," Eren admits sincerely. "And after they rescued me after my Titan form was almost eaten alive, Commander Pixis of the Garrison proposed I could move a giant boulder and seal the entrance into Trost. I succeeded, and therefore it was the first ever human victory against Titans."

I try to process this. Eren can turn into a Titan at will? My eyes creep towards everyone else, wondering if they can too. Who knows? Maybe I'm surrounded by Titan-shifting creeps and don't even know it.

"You can, do it at will?" I ask slowly.

Eren sits up. "Yeah. It's sorta weird, but all I have to do it is bite my hand like this-" and he raises the side of his hand to his mouth. "And then I transform."

My eyes widen. "Can you all do it?!"

Oluo laughs. "You really think I could be a titan-shifting freak like Eren? Pff."

"We already tried," Petra explains. She holds up her hand to reveal several bite marks where Eren was referring to. "I can't believe he can even penetrate the skin here."

"But anyway," Levi says, looks towards me. 'We're on a mission. We are going to return to Eren's home, where we believe there will be answers to everything. And in addition, we might be able to re-conquer Wall Maria with Eren's Titan form as well."

So that's why we were heading away from that wall when I was rescued. That was probably Wall Rose, the second wall. And now we're headed to Wall Maria... well. Looks like I'm in for an adventure.

"So any questions?" Eld asks. "I think we pretty much summed up what you need to know."

I look him over. Longish blonde hair that's pinned back, a muscular build- that uniform. The silver-looking boxes hanging from his hips. Aren't those where those bungi-cord things shoot out from? I point to them. "What are those?"

"Oh, this?" he says, tapping the boxes. "It's were we store our blades. You know, for slaying Titans. We usually carry four to six extra blades just incase our original ones dull out. Won't be much use then, won't it?"

"Then how do you use the bungi-cord thingys?"

He smiles. "Oh, you mean the 3 Dimensional Maneuver Gear? That's mostly operated from back here." And he turns around and lifts his cape, revealing a machine-like box that has two grapples sticking out, ready for launch. "They come out from the front though, so it's not like we're riding backwards."

"Okay," I say. "That's all, really."

"Well then, who's taking first watch?" Levi says, standing up. "I know Titan's can't move in the dark, but you never know, with all this weird stuff occurring."

"I will!" Oluo volunteers, standing up and pulling out two blades, making me slowly back away. "I'll make sure this girl doesn't try anything."

The rest of us disperse along the grass, choosing a spot to sleep. I awkwardly move towards the edge of the group, not wanting to disturb anyone. When I just lie down, I hear footsteps coming my way. I jerk up, worried that Oluo has come to slay me.

But it's just Eren, so I heave a breath and lay back down.

"You're such a loner," he teases, sitting next to me.

"Well, its not like any of you invited me into the group," I say. "I was sorta just thrown in with no warning. Besides, why would I be in this group of all? Don't you have special operations to attend to instead of worrying about a 15-year-old girl?"

"I requested you did," Eren says, blushing a little. "Since I saved you from almost being eaten, I kinda feel responsible for you now." He laughs. "Captain Levi was seriously against it, though. Like you said, he wanted us to focus on our goal instead of watching over you."

I sit up and look into his eyes. "Eren, I would rather you reach your goal then be dragged down by me. I mean, I'm used to it."

"Used to what?"

"Being turned down. Since I'm the smallest girl in school and the youngest since my birthday is in August, everyone just views me as the weak one, and they never invite me to hang out at lunch or play on their team. And I've dealt. It wouldn't be much different now, anyway."

Eren gives me a sympathetic look. "Well, you'd probably be eaten alive if you with anyone else. No offense to everyone else, but their just one person. Here, you have six fully-trained Titan slayers to protect you."

"But why do I need protecting?" I question. "Besides, I'm just some random girl who showed up, aren't I? I'm probably worth less than everyone else in the entire human population."

"I believe you're here for a purpose," Eren states. He gestures to my clothes. "It's obvious you're not from here. And I can't believe you just showed up with no purpose. Everyone lives with a purpose, whether it's to be a caring father or to join the recon corps." He gets up. "I'm going to sleep. It's been a long day." And then he walks away, his 3-D Maneuver gear rattling by his side. I watch him until he lays down a few yards away. Then, I lie down myself and try to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

I feel rough hands shaking me awake. I groan and turn away, pulling my soft covers over me. You should never believe the crazy, scary nightmare I had last night. It was even more crazier than the rest- I was literally stuck in Attack on Titan.

A frustrated sigh sounds and I open one eyes, expecting to see my dad getting me up for school or something, since I feel exhausted. But to my surprise it's not my dad- it's Levi.

Of all people.

I open the other eye. "Are you real?" I ask him, squinting.

Levi stand up and brushes himself off. "As real as I'll ever be."

I yawn. The sun is no more than an inch off the horizon. Why so early? I know that we are on a mission but jeez.

"Come on," Levi says, motioning for me to follow him. "We've got bigger problems to deal with than how tired you are."

I scowl and open my mouth to make a nasty remark, but seeing how that'll only make him hate me more, I bite down my tongue and follow him.

I scream. There's a Titan's body- well, at least half of it- laying on the grass as if it'd appeared out of thin air. It cut off at the rib cage, and had no skin whatsoever, only bones and muscle. I see the whole square very close to it with their blades drawn. I blink. What are they doing?! They could get themselves killed!

I rush past Levi and grab Petra's arm, pulling her away. "Are you guys insane?! You'll be eaten alive!"

Petra looks at me sincerely. "Kyla, it's okay. This Titan won't eat us, at least I don't think so."

"And why would you ever think that?"

She points to the nape of the Titan's neck. I squint, and silhouetted across the back of it's neck is a body. No, not just any body.

Eren's. Both his arms are attached to the Titan's neck and seems almost fused with it, red flesh swirling up his arms until about his shoulder. And he appears to be trying to pull them out.

"What...?" I say, utterly confused. What is Eren doing up there? Why are his arms inside the freaking Titan? Could the possible blabber the squad was telling lat night be true? Than Eren is...

A Titan?

A hand is on my shoulder. I look around and see Levi staring at me.

"Don't piss yourself," he comments, gesturing to how freaked out I look. I blush in embarrassment. Then he turns to Eren atop the Titan's neck and calls out, "What was it this time?"

Eren stops struggling and turns to face us. "I- I was only trying to get my horse, and I scared the goddamned thing away!" His face looks tear-stained. "Why now..." he mutters.

"Eren," I call weakly. "Is this- real? Are you a Titan?"

Our eyes meet, and his green ones stare at mine for a few seconds before breaking away. "I'm human, Kyla. I assure you."

I shift nervously but then decide to accept it. Eren would never lie, would he? I mean, he doesn't seem the lying type to me. The squad's blades are drawn but not pointed directly at him. That must mean they don't see him as a immediate threat. So I can trust Eren that's he's human.

Eventually, Eld and Petra climb up the Titan and help Eren slowly ease his arms out until they slide effortlessly out, looking scorched and letting of steam. Instantly, the Titan also begins to let off steam and slowly disintegrate. I breathe out thankfully, since now I don't have to be on the balls of my feet ready to run if that Titan Eren created had lashed out.

I watch Eren walk away with Levi lecturing him, the others keeping a close eye on him. As scared as I am to go within a foot near Eren, I follow them at a distance.

"So, it's true?" I say, stopping within a few feet's length of the two. They both turn around.

"Jesus," Levi says. "You sure walk quietly."

Not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not, I nod at him and then focus on Eren.

"Is it?" I repeat.

Eren, his face almost looking tired, says, "Yes. That usually doesn't happen randomly. It's only happened once before. Don't worry."

"I'm not," I snap. I don't want Eren to think I'm scared of him, even though I kinda am. Instead, I try to change the subject. "When else did it happen?"

"Well, it was a few days ago, before this mission took place," Eren begins. "I was just recovering after failing an experiment involving my Titan powers, and when I went to pick up a spoon I dropped, I halfway-transformed like I did now."

"Scared the squad, it did," Levi adds. "They were ready to kill him, I assure you."

I nod, uncertain whether I should question any farther. I clears throat and ask, "When do we leave?"

Levi crosses his arms. "Well, Eren scared off his horse, so when we do leave he'll have to ride with someone." He pauses. "And it won't be me, so Eren, do find a horse so when we have to leave we won't be left behind." And then he walks past me, back towards the squad, who have already begun preparations for departure.

Eren slaps his hand to his head. "Why now? In the middle of a mission!" He looks at me. "What am I going to do?"

His expression is desperate. I et he feels stupid for spooking his horse, and I also bet he really doesn't want to be left behind. I wouldn't, either.

Suddenly, I see a green smoke cloud shoot up. Eren sees it too, and runs his hands through his brown hair. "We can't be leaving now!"

Levi rides up to us, stopping right before us. He glares at Eren, then looks at me.

"Get Kyla's horse," he orders. "You two are stuck together until we can find another horse." And then he returns to the group, waiting.

I look at Eren. "Well, I'll go get my horse, I guess."

I shuffle past him towards my horse. Hands shaking, I undo the knot that tethered it to the tree and lead it back over to Eren. I will have to ride with him. For some reason I feel both terrified and excited. For what, I don't know. I dismiss the thoughts and hand him the reins.

"You're probably better at riding than me," I say. "You should drive."

He nods and swings himself onto the back of the horse. Then, he offers me a hand up.

I take it and hold on as he lifts me onto the back. It's a good thing the horse is on the larger side, so it has enough room to carry both of us. Or is it just my petite figure? I don't know. And I don't really care.

I place my hands on my lap, unsure what to do. Usually when two people are riding on horses together, they're lovers. Like in so much movies. But me and Eren aren't lovers, so it's awkward. He steers the horse and begins trotting over to the group, and by the way I almost slide off, I realize I'm going to have to hold onto him somehow.

"You doing okay back there?" Eren asks over his his shoulder.

"Yeah, just slipping a bit," I say.

He sighs and reaches back, taking both of my hands and wrapping them around his waist. I blush like crazy. "There. Now you should be okay."

I slowly relax as we begin to ride. It isn't half as bad as I'd think it'd be, seeing how close I am to Eren and all. It's actually enjoyable, since I don't have to steer and all. The only part I didn't enjoy was how awkward it was when I got tired and almost fell asleep on his shoulder multiple times.

We ride for a while, no Titans at all, until I see something big and looming in the distance. Squinting my eyes, I realize its a giant forest of giant trees. And I see some groups entering it one by one.

"Are we going there?" I ask Eren, pointing over his shoulder.

He shrugs. "I honestly don't know a thing about this mission except its to get back to Wall Maria and seal it off. I'd think we'd go around it but apparently I'm wrong."

His voice truly sounds confused. I wonder if any of the squad members know or if Captain Levi knows. Surly he does, since he's the leader. Maybe the squad knows. But judging by the looks of their faces, they don't at all.

We approach the forest in a matter of minutes, rushing into it without hesitation. The atmosphere instantly becomes cooler within the shade, and the trees mostly block out the sun so it's sorta darkened also. As we run by, I spot a few figures high up in the trees, blades drawn.

"Why are they staying there?" I ask.

Eren looks up and sees them. "I- I don't know."

When we're a good mile into the forest, the silence is finally interrupted by a loud, echoing sound. The sound of hammering footsteps. The sound of a Titan's footsteps. I whip my head around and through my dark locks I see something approaching us far away. Then, a scream. I turn away. Someone probably just got eaten.

The footsteps get louder. Until I finally turn back, but nothing's there.

Then, several trees fall as a Titan comes crashing through the trees, several soldiers trailing not so far behind. But it's not just any Titan. The blonde hair styled in a short hair cut, thin, curvy body. It's defiantly that Titan that Armin had called the "female type." Everyone else sees it too.

"Corporal!" Petra shouts. "We should switch to Maneuver gear immediately! That Titan will be on us any minute!"

But Levi doesn't respond, instead keeping his eyes focused ahead of him.

"Sir, your orders?" Eld shouts, glancing back at the Titan, who's now running full on at us. Still Levi is quiet.

"Reinforcements are coming from behind!" Gunther calls, pointing at the two people following the female type. I feel a rush of relief. They will slay her and then we will be safe again. Everyone else seems to feel that way, too, so I look away from the Titan and focus ahead of me.

Then, I hear everyone gasp. I quickly jerk to face the Titan and see blood smeared on her arm and a nearby tree. What just happened? I only see one soldier. Where did the other go?! I suck in my breath as I watch horrifically as the female type grabs a cord of the 3DMG and yank hard, pulling the soldier attached towards her. She knows how the gear works? But how?! And then, right before my eyes, she punches the soldier with such force that half of the body goes one way, the other way, and blood goes everywhere. I scream in terror.

This Titan is intelligent. Not like the others I've seen, who just waddle around like big babies. This one, this female type, knows how the maneuver gear works, and doesn't eat people. But how is that possible? Isn't that the whole purpose of the Titan? To eat human, not just simply punch them in half? I cling to Eren, hoping he won't be too freaked out, also. I hope we can get away. I hope, hope, hope.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

My heart is thumping so hard. We're going to die. We're going to freaking die. I'm going to die, Eren's going to die, Petra, Oluo and all the other's. It'll all be Levi's fault. Since he won't let us switch to 3DMG, even though that wouldn't help me much since I don't have any. Probably wouldn't be able to work it, either.

"I'm gonna turn her into mince-meat," Eld mutters, pulling out his blades, fully ready for combat.

"Give us the order, Corporal!" Oluo shouts. "We have to do it now! She's real dangerous!"

"Corporal Levi!" Eren shouts in a pleading voice. "Give us the orders, please!"

Levi looks behind his shoulder, first glancing at the Titan, then at us. His eyes seems to focus on me before he calls out, "Plug your ears!"

Plug our ears?

Suddenly, he pulls out a gun ever so quick and fires it. Instead of smoke comes a piercing, horrible ringing sound that deafens all of us. A sound grenade? What was he thinking?!

After the rings stops, Levi turns to his squad, eyeing each of them carefully. "What is our mission? Was it to lose your damn life in battle?" He turns back to front. "I don't think those were your orders. They were to make sure this pisspoor doesn't get a single scratch on him. Even if it costs your lives."

A cold shiver goes down my spine. They're supposed to sacrifice themselves for him? I look around, and everyone's faces are a mix of anger, confusion and something else I can't identify.

"We're continuing to advance on our horses," Levi orders. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Petra replies, even though she has a troubled face. I feel sorry for her. For everyone.

But Eren doesn't seem to want to obey Levi. "Sir, our horses can't outrun her! She'll catch up sooner or later!"

"More people!" I yell, as I see another pair of backups swing in front of the female Titan. This is the first time I'm noticing she's covering the nape of her neck. But how could she possibly know?! She's not supposed to be intelligent. Not at all.

"We should fight her together!" Eren yells. "We could defeat her!"

"Eren!" Eld scolds. "Maintain your speed and focus! Obey the Corporal's orders!"

"But-"

"Eren!" Gunther shouts.

I wish he would stop pleading. I know there's nothing we can do but obey Levi's orders. Eren should know that. I'm about to tell him to stop when the agonizing sound of crunching bones is heard. A tear slips down my face. I don't need to look behind me to know that someone just died. I run my hands through my hair. I can't take this. I just can't!

Eren clenches his fist on the reins. "Another man has just died! We could of helped him, you idiots!"

"Eren!" I shout now, grasping his waist. "Stop complaining!"

"Don't tell me to just ignore my comrade's death like its meaningless!" He shouts angrily over his shoulder.

"Well what do you want us to do? Dress up and have a funeral?!"

"Listen to Kyla, Eren!" Petra calls. "There's nothing we can do! Just look ahead and keep going!"

I watch Eren closely. To my horror, he begins to lift his hand towards his mouth. An image of the Titan's half-body flashes before my eyes and I scream.

Petra looks at me, then sees Eren. "Eren! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving that man's life! He's still fighting, all alone!"

"You promised you wouldn't!" Petra pleas.

"Don't do it, you scumbag," Oluo replies.

There's a moment of silence, where we're all waiting for him to do it. I shake uncontrollably at the thought of being squashed under his foot.

"Eren," Levi says, breaking the silence between us. "You're not in the wrong about this. If you want to do it, do it."

My jaw drops. Isn't Levi supposed to discourage him to do it? To control it?

"Corporal! Are you out of your mind?!" Eld yells.

"He's a monster, I know," Levi continues. "But no matter what situation he's thrown into, no one will be able to make his spirit submit to their will." He turns to Eren, his eyes ever so mysterious. "Will you trust yourself, or me an your comrades, the entire Scouting Regiment?"

Eren falters, troubled by Levi's words. I bite my lip nervously.

"I don't have the slightest idea of which option you should choose," Levi says. "No matter what wisdom dictates you to the option which you pick, no one will know if it's right or wrong until you come up with an outcome of which the choice you made. The only thing we are allowed to do is to believe we won't regret the choice we made."

Silence. Everyone is registering Levi's words, balancing them in their minds. Eren the most, since he looks like the wheels are turning in there. I just hope he makes the right choice.

"Eren," Petra says. "Trust us."p

I wait, listening to the pounding footsteps the carry behind us, trembling at the though of what might happen if she caught up.

"I'll go with you!" Eren suddenly shouts. A smile spreads across my face. Thank god. Thank god...

Petra smiles thankfully, and so does the rest of the squad. Levi nods to himself and focuses ahead.

Several seconds after that whole thing, I hear the pleading cries of the remaining soldier behind us, shouting for her to let go. I don't watch. I can't bare it. Everyone else wears solemn expressions.

Then, all a sudden, the female type begins to run faster, like the final stretch of a race.

"The Titan is accelerating!" Gunther cries out.

"Full speed ahead!" Levi commands.

Eren kicks the horse, willing it to go faster. I'm surprised its managed to keep up with everyone with the two of us on it. Must be an amazing horse.

I scream. The female Titan is suddenly right above is, arm outstretched towards Eren and me. Eren looks up and for a second has an expression if pure terror, then whips out his blades.

"It'll be okay, Kyla! Just hang tough!" he says, bracing himself. We're going to be eaten. Right now. Right here. I'm going to die...

"FIRE!" someone shouts. All a sudden, hundreds of bomb-like-sounds are echoing throughout the forest. I scream, hoping none will hit us. Dust and steam suddenly blinds us from the female type, who has miraculously stopped chasing us. I breathe out a heavy sigh. Levi holds up his and we all slow our horses and halt.

"Tether up the horses ahead," Levi says, pointing to a tree up ahead. "Kyla and I are going to rendezvous with the commander. I'm leaving Eld in charge."

I blink. "Wait, what?"

"Any problems?" Levi asks, turning his horse. "Eren, give her horse back. You can use the maneuver gear to follow the squad."

Eren looks like he's about to object, but an icy stare from Levi makes him dismount and hand me the reins. "I'll see you back at Trost, right?"

I blush. "Um, I hope so."

He smiles, then nods at Levi. Levi motions for me to follow him, and so I do, leaving Eren and the squad behind.

When we reach our destination, my jaw drops. The female Titan is held in place by hundreds upon thousands of grapples, shot from many cannons lining the forest's floor. I bite my lip as we ride past her. Again, she's covering the nape of her neck.

"You are switching squads for the next part of the mission," Levi explains. "We can't have you tagging along in ours anymore."

I nod. "Who am I joining?"

To answer my question, a woman taller than Levi with red-brown hair and glasses comes running up to us, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Levi, we caught it! I can't believe it! We'll be able to see who's inside!" She cries.

"Kyla," Levi says, "This is Hanji. She's the commander of the squad you'll be riding with."

I set my eyes on her. "Hi."

"Hello, Kyla!" Hanji says, throwing out her arm for me to shake. I take it wearily.

"Well, Levi, I wish you luck with Erwin!" Hanji says, steadying her glasses. "But Kyla and I got some work to do!"

My mind is spinning. Great. I get stuck with the one who's obsessed with the Titans. I wonder what Eren and the others are doing right now. Waiting, maybe?

"Kyla!" Hanji shouts, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Can you help me?"

"Um, sure?" I say, more as a question than a statement. Hangi squeals and drags me off of my horse, pulling me away from it and Levi.

"Bye, Levi!" she says, waving. Then she turns to me, her glasses glistening in the dim sunlight.

"Alright, Kyla," Hanji says excitedly. "We got some work do do."


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

"Hold this," Hanji says, handing me a notepad. She adjusts her glasses so that she can see over the rim of them, then takes back the notepad.

"In case you haven't noticed," Hanji begins, "I'm in charge of all the note-taking for this mission. To recognize what's alike and different, what's new and what's not, ya know?"

I nod. The woman smiles and turns towards the female type, who is twitching ever so slightly. Hanji laughs.

"The more you heal, the more you can't move!" She calls out. "I bet you just want to itch yourself everywhere, don't ya?"

Then she turns to me. "Anyway. Let's get started!" She whips out a pencil and scribbles down something. I peak over her shoulder, trying to see what she wrote, but since I'm shorter than her I can't.

"What'd you write?" I ask cautiously. I don't want her to go into a full-out explanation of something.

"Just how there's no skin," she says. "Much like the Colossal and Armored Titan. Which supports the fact that there's probably someone inside the Titan right now!"

I shift my weight. It's almost scary, being so close to a Titan like this. Everything in my mind is screaming run, but then again everything in my mind is saying to stay, so I can see who's inside. I don't know why I'm all a sudden interested. Maybe because I want her to pay for killing so many soldiers.

Abruptly more grapples are shot at the Titan, making it even more unable to move. The Titan doesn't react much to it, just continues to stand there.

While Hanji is scribbling notes down, I see two men, Levi and someone else, preparing to slice the hands off. I watch the as they shoot their cords to the hands and both take a swing at it. But to my surprise and Hanji's, their blades break themselves instead of breaking the hands.

"She can harden her skin!" Hanji exclaims. She claps her hands together. "Kyla, do you know what this means?"

"Um, no?" I reply.

"This means that she's defiantly like the Armored Titan!" Again, she is writing everything down. I rub my arms nervously. It seems too peaceful, compared to all I've been through. At ease, almost. But I'm on the balls of my heels, ready to bolt if the female type moved an inch. No second thoughts. Just run.

I see Levi on top of the titan's head. What is he doing up there? He seems to be talking to the thing. Talking. What will that do any good?

"Kyla, could you hold this for a moment?" Hanji says, giving me back the notepad. "It need to go back to the wagons for a moment to sharpen my pencil."

I glance at the pencil. She's already dulled it to a pulp. For some odd reason that's not surprising.

I look at the notes. They are mostly unreadable, since she must be writing them down as quick as she can. But I do catch onto a few things, like "very high intelligence level", "ability to harden skin", "looks female in physical looks".

Suddenly, an agonizing scream comes from the female type's mouth, piercing through the forest in all directions. I cover my ears. What did Levi do to the thing?

When it's over, I lower my hands and study the Titan. It's sorta my thing to notice things, since I dig around ruins with my dad all the time. Or used to, anyway. I was usually the one to notice the small things. That was one of the only times I was useful, beside being small enough to fit into small corridors.

The ground rattles underneath me. I look around. Everyone else seems to notice it, too. My heart quickens. What's going on? Are more cannons being transported here?

No, it's the exact opposite. Titans, hundreds of them, are running towards us, eyes focused on the female type. I scream and watch as one soldier is crushed under a Titan's foot. I run, as fast as I can, towards any shelter, which is pretty much against a tree.

A looming shadow beckons from above me. I look up. The world seems to pause for a second, and I watch as the foot goes over my head and lands right in front of me, sending a whoosh of air that grabs the notepad from my grasp. I reach for it, but it gets lost it the mist of Titan feet.

Wait, I see it! On the ground, not a few yard from here. I get up and run towards it, determined not to let Hanji's hard work go to waste. Besides, good impressions are the best impressions, right?

When I'm approaching it, I reach out and my fingers touch it, closing around it and beginning to lift it.

Then, my hand and wrist gets caught under a Titan's foot.

I scream in pain. Frick, it hurts! I pull up my hand and it looks like a flattened pancake, covered in blood and dirt. I grab the notepad with my other hand and race back towards the tree, all the while cradling my injured hand in my opposite arm.

Thankfully I don't get squashed anymore, and make it to the tree before any Titan can notice me. Slumping down, I heave out a sigh. Looking up, I see almost every soldier slashing at the Titans. When I look past them, my eyes widen.

Cannibalism?

The Titans that reach the female type alive are eating her, their own kind. I lean over and gag. I can't even look anymore. It's just so disturbing.

I wait and wait until eventually I hear a call from someone, "Retreat!"

I perk up. Retreat? As in the whole mission? Weren't we supposed to go back to Wall Maria and deal it off? I shrug my shoulders and get myself up, hoping no one forgot about me in the middle of the bloodbath.

My thoughts are cleared when I see a familiar red-brown head running towards me, eyes wide with concern.

"I am so sorry!" Hanji says, hugging me. "When I went back to the wagon, the Titans were already here and I had received the order to fight and-"

"Hanji," I say quietly. "It's okay."

"Your hand..." Hanji whispers, holding her own out. "Is it broken?"

"I think so," I say. I hand her the notepad. "I kept this for you."

Hanji looks at me with gratitude and takes it. "Thank you." Now, we should probably get back to our horses. Erwin called off the mission, so we will be meeting up with him soon."

"Erwin? As in the commander?" I ask, walking with her to our tethered-up horses.

"Yeah," she says. "Have you met him?"

"No," I reply, shaking my head.

"He's a real nice guy," Hanji assures me. "Not a big bad mean commander."

I nod we mount our horses. Then, before we depart, Hanji gets out some bandaging and wraps up my hand to stop it from bleeding everywhere. I nod my thanks and we ride on to Erwin.

He's tall and muscular, with ashy blonde hair and big furry eyebrows. When he sees us, he waves us over.

"Ah," he says when he sees me. "Is this the Kyla I've been hearing about?"

"Yes," Hanji answers before I can even open my mouth. "She's wonderful. Broke her hand to save my notes here!"

"Aw, you shouldn't have," Erwin jokes, lightly punching my shoulder. "She'd remember them anyway."

I nod, and then we set off. While Erwin and Hanji are talking about try female type, I begin to wonder what Levi's squad is doing right now. Probably getting ready to retreat, also, I suppose. I look ahead, focused on getting back alive and then figuring things out. Like how to get home and all that crap.

Suddenly, there's a big booming sound, and a blinding light fills the forest. I shield my eyes until it fades, and I hear Hanji whisper, "Just as I suspected."

"What?" I ask, hoping its not anything bad.

"Well, neither Erwin nor I had seen the person inside the female type's body get eaten, so we suspected that the body had escaped. And that, maybe, she had already equipped herself with 3DMG so that she could appear to be one of our own. And if she had enough strength left over, she might be able to transform again. Which means-"

I hear the sickening sound of crushed bones. No. It's happening again. No, no...

Suddenly, an image flashes before my head. I. The direction of the previous sound was where Levi's squad had gone. Could that possibly mean...?

I steer my horse away from the group, riding towards the sound, Hanji calling after me. I know it's suicide, but I need to know. They can't be dead. Eren can't be dead. Petra can't be dead. Neither can Oluo, or Eld, or Gunther. They can't possibly-

I screech my horse to a halt. My heart shouts up towards my throat, and my stomach twists and turns into knots I can't possibly unravel. Tears start to spill uncontrollably down my cheeks. I dismount my horse slowly, and walk towards the bloody tree.

There, on the trunk of the tree, lies Petra. Spine broken, blood sprayed in every possible location. Her eyes gazing dully into the sky. She's dead. Petra's dead.

I sink to my knees, balling up my fists and pressing them into my eyes to stop the tears. Why am I crying to much? Why is this death so different than the others?

Because I knew her. We became friends of sorts. She was one of the first ones who trusted me, beside Eren. And now Petra's dead.

"Oi!" someone shouts. I look up and see Oluo still swinging around the the female type's neck, face filled with anger and vengeance. I gulp. Where's Eld and Gunther? Again, more uncontrollable tears come, e because I know what happened to them.

"Oluo!" I screech. "Don't try to defeat her!"

But he doesn't hear me. All I can do is watch helplessly as he takes a swing at the monster's neck, but again, just like Levi's, his blades break. Before he can recover, the female type raises her fist and punchs Oluo, sending him flying to the ground in a mass of blood and broken bones. I watch him fall.

Then, the Titan spots me. I can't even move. I'm filled with so much- sadness, anger, revenge, fear. Many things. So much I cant't even flee for my life as the Titan advances towards me. I'm going to die here. Right with Petra and Oluo. I will die. And somehow, I'm willing to accept it. Anything could be better than this.

But then the same blinding light erupts, and I have to shield my eyes. Did the Titan transform back to human form? No, that wouldn't be possible, since the body of the Titan would be left over anyway. So what is it?

I gasp. Another Titan, this one male, with shaggy brown hair and brilliant green eyes, is standing behind the female type. I gasp.

It's Eren. In Titan form.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

I don't remember much of the fight. I remember bits and pieces, like fragments of a list memory that I can't quite grasp. I remember, though, seeing the rage of Eren's face, and I knew that he had witnessed everyone's death first hand. He and Levi were the only ones that made it out of the forest from the Levi Squad. Or maybe not, since I don't know if Eren survived the fight or if Levi was killed.

When I finally come to my senses, I hear the stomping of giant feet running away. Had the female type given up? I force myself into a sitting position, and take in my surroundings- lush green grass, humongous trees, blood stained dirt...

Wait a second!

My head jerks to the side, and then I remember- running up only to find Petra's dead body, and watching Oluo die before my very eyes. I scream at the thought.

"Hey!" someone shouts. "She's alive!"

People come running towards me, and someone helps me up.

"Can you walk okay?" a man asks, swinging one of my hands over his shoulder, helping me regain my balance.

I don't know if I am. I shake my head slowly, then turn to see where I remember Petra being. She's not there anymore, only a massive amount of blood streaking the side of the tree where she died. I turn away quickly, only to find another patch of blood where Oluo fell.

I let the man walk me slowly out of the forest, along with his group. They all inspect me for broken bones, wounds, etc. The only thing they find is my broken hand, which they add a few more bandages to.

When we reach the edge of the forest, the first thing that hits me is the stench. It's a horrible, bloody smell, and I kneel over to gag, but since there's nothing in my stomach I just end up in a raging coughing fit. There's corpses everywhere, some laying in lines on the ground and some being loaded into the wagons. There's hundreds, or at least it seems like it.

I want to cry to bad, but I've already used my teas up in the forest. Instead I just hang my head and sob softly until they help me into a wagon.

Judging by everyone's look, this is normal to them. Coming home with less soldiers than before. This is their life. Not knows if they're going to come home wrapped up in cloth or on horseback. But yet they still fight.

I scan the bodies, trying to see through the bloody fabric that covers them. Then, I spot four lying on the ground in a perfect line. And a man, a fairly short one, is standing beside them. Captain Levi. I can't imagine how torn he must feel.

"Kyla!" a familiar voice shouts. I turn my head and see Armin running towards me with a concerned face.

"I thought you were dead!" he says. "You were all bloody and out cold when we found you."

I don't know how to respond to that. Instead I just let out a sob and bury my face into my knees.

"I feel so useless," I whisper.

"What?"

I lift my head, and the tears start to come. "Armin! I'm just a stupid burden! I'm no use to anybody! I feel like I could of helped! If I'd gotten there earlier, I could of saved at least Oluo and Petra-"

"Don't work yourself up," Armin says. His blue eyes lock on mine. "It wasn't your fault."

I shake my head. "Do you ever worry when you're going to die? Is this even normal for you?"

Armin opens his mouth to reply, but closes it silently. His eyes looked troubled. I sigh.

"I have to go," he finally says. "We're leaving soon."

I let him leave, and once the final body is loaded ever so carefully onto a wagon, we're off. I don't even look at the ones in my wagon- if I did, I'd probably kill myself. All these deaths, just for nothing. Nothing at all.

Suddenly, a red flare is up. I squint my eyes in the direction where it came from, and then gasp. Titans. I bite my lip. They can never get enough, can they?!

"That bastard!" someone shouts, pointing at a Titan's foot. Wait, no. There's someone riding on a horse, carrying a dead body on his back. And he's about to get squashed.

"Men!" someone shouts. This time I recognize it as Levi's voice. He rides up to a wagon not far from us and says, "Dump the bodies."

What?! Why can't he just fight them?! We can't just leave the bodies! What about Petra and Oluo, Eld and Gunther? Does he care at all?

At first, the two men on the wagon look like they're about to object. I will them too- but one shakes his head and then says, "You heard him! Get to work!"

Then, to my horror, they do start throwing the bodies off the cart. I yell at them to stop, but my voice only gets caught in the wind and carried up and away. No one hears me. I watch, tears streaming down my face, as they throw off the last one. I slump down, mortified. This can't be. It just can't.

The driver for my wagon does the same. I don't watch this time, though. I just want to curl up and vanish, go back home. To my family, where I don't have to see this. This horrible reality that these people are forced to live in.

We do manage to get away from the Titans without any casualties, much to my relief. I stay in the wagon, thinking. What will happen when we get to Trost? What will they do to me? I probably won't be taken lightly, since these people think I over the walls somehow.

My head pounds. There's just too much to worry about now, so I stop thinking all together and just focus on the horse's steady and sure hooves pounding against the grass. I must of fallen asleep again, because I wake up when the sun is high in the sky and we're stopped. Chatter is surrounding me, and I sit up to find that we're riding through a town. Massive amounts of people line the streets, some old and some young. Many have disgusted looks towards us.

"Who's that?" I hear someone whisper.

"I don't know, man. Never saw her leave with the Corps."

"Bloody hell. She must of. How else would she be there?"

"I don't know! Maybe she just popped up out of nowhere!"

They don't know how accurate they are. More whispers conjure about me as I pass. Many shoot me accusing looks like I caused all this, others looked puzzled at my appearance. I probably look weird, too, since I don't see people around here wearing T-shirts and jeans.

The wagon stops, and I look up ahead to see Erwin shaking hands with someone. It's a man as tall as him with brown hair and the same uniform, except instead of a symbol bearing two wings, it's a picture of a unicorn. A unicorn?

Then, all a sudden, two rough hands grab me by the arms and yank me out of the wagon.

"Hey!" I shout, looking behind me to see two people with the same unicorn symbol on their uniform. "What are you doing?!"

"You don't have to be rough," Erwin says, suddenly right next to us with the same man he was talking to. "She's harmless."

"What's going on?" I demand as the two people let go of me. My heart is thumping. This can't be good. It just. can't."

Erwin gestures at the man next to him. "This is chief of the Military Police, Nile Dawk." He clears his throat. "We've been ordered to hand you over to them."

My throat dries. "But why?! I'm perfectly find with you guys!"

Erwin presses him lips together and sighs. "King's orders."

My mouth is gaping. "This can't be happening! What will they do to me?"

Nile responds before Ewrin can. "You will probably go through a trial, seeing that you somehow escaped over the walls without anyone seeing or detecting you."

"But I'm innocent!" I protest. "I swear!"

But Nile doesn't listen, instead turns to Erwin and whispers something in his ear. Then he turns back to us.

"Take her to the carriage, boys," Nile orders. "We'll get her to into Sina before nightfall. Is that clear?"

The men behind me nod and push me lightly away from Erwin and Nile. I resist the urge to kick them in the gut- the would only make me seem worse. My head is spinning now. The worst has happened in the past 24 hours- I somehow ended up here in this hell, experienced the living horror of being almost killed by Titans, seen people being eaten, found Petra dead and watched Oluo die, and now I am being seen as a threat to these people.

Could life get any worse at this point?


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

The room was small- barely enough room for the table and several chairs set up for me to sit in. It's what they called the "confinement room", where I'll be staying until my trail begins. I gave the two guys a hard time about locking me in here, though, since I'm not so fond of cramped spaces. That's why I have several bruises lining my arms and legs. I rub the place on my left cheek where one slapped me and flinch at the touch. It hurts.

Suddenly the silence is interrupted by a rattling of the door. I look up and see two figures enter. I brace myself, but then realize it's only Levi and Hanji. I sigh with relief and straiten up. Hanji waves awkwardly at me and scurries over to where I'm sitting, dragging a chair behind her. Sitting down, she says, "So how's it going?"

I open my mouth to answer, but Levi does first. "I bet you have the men a difficult time," he mutters, gesturing at my state.

I shrug. "I didn't want to be in here."

"Don't worry, you'll be getting out in a few minutes for your trial," Hanji replies, her glasses shining in the dim light.

I sigh. As if I needed reminding. That's the only thing I've been nervous about for the whole time I've been in here- the trail. What will happen? Will people realize I'm as innocent as I look or will they think I'm some sort of criminal? I mean, by the looks of it, those walls could of been at least 50 meters high. There's no way I'd be able to scale that without being unnoticed! I don't think anyone even could.

"They'll bring you in there and you'll have to stand in this separate area from all of us," Hanji explains. "Sometimes, with really suspicious people, they have to restrain them in some way- but I wouldn't worry about that. You wouldn't hurt a fly, I'm sure." She sighs. "What I'm trying to say is just don't screw up, okay? The guy that decides what to do with you will take every move into consideration. If you screw up-"

"Stop worrying the girl," Levi interrupts, standing up. "I bet she's already worried enough. Right, Kyla?"

I nod slowly.

"Right," Hanji says, getting up. We should probably go- we need to get into our places for this early. I wish you luck!"

"Thanks," I say, watching the two file out.

Just before Levi closes the door behind him, though, he turns to me and catches my eye. "By the way," he says, "Eren's worried about you."

I blush. Eren's worried about me? He really shouldn't be, but then again he probably does feel responsible for me since he did save me back there, when I was about to be eaten by that Titan. Was it really only yesterday? It feels like ages ago.

* * *

"Kyla, is it?" the judge asks me in a deep, booming voice.

I gulp. "Yes, sir."

"Do you have a last name?"

"Williams, sir."

He nods, leaning back into his chair, almost as if he's registering it in his mind. I take the moment to look around. I'm in a massive building with a glass ceiling that lets light shine down onto me and everyone else. There's five sections of the room: one is a large square space surrounded by metal bars in which I'm in, separated from everyone else, just like Hanji said. Then, to my left are all the people I was traveling with, including Eren, Amrin, Levi and Hanji. To my right, the so-called Military Police. Next to them is another group of people who's sign is two roses. Then behind me is a mass of people that probably serves as the jury. And in front of me is a high table in which the judge and several other people are situated.

"Alright, Kyla Williams," the judge says, leaning forward and shuffling some papers in front of him. "Let's just cut to the chase. I want to know how you got over the walls to the outer districts."

I whip my head towards the left, hoping they'll help me, but then I remember what Hanji said about he's watching my every move, so I turn back.

"It's to your greatest benefit that you answer truthfully, so I suggest you don't lie," the man warns.

I gulp and say, "I woke up there, sir."

He raises an eyebrow. "I find that very hard to believe, Ms. Williams. I'll ask you one more time. How did you get over the wall?"

I sigh, frustrated. I've never been good at lying, so there's no use in making something up. So instead I repeat myself, "I woke up there." It's not entirely an lie. I did end up there somehow, after I entered the ruins. But I can't tell them that, or they'll think I'm more insane than Hanji. Surely they would never let me out easy if that happened.

The judge shakes his head disappointingly. "If you won't tell me the truth, then I'll just ask others what they think." He turns towards the Military Police first, and asks, "Nile, why do you think Kyla had even wanted to get over the walls in the first place?"

I sigh. This is getting kind of hopeless if he won't even believe I never even tried to get over the walls.

"I believe she was sent to kill the Survey Corps," Nile declares. I turn to him, wide eyed. How could he think that?! "It's obvious," he continues, "that she won't confess to venturing over the walls, and given the fact that the Scouting Legion had just embarked on a mission that day does rise some suspicion in my opinion."

I hear some people murmuring agreement. I look down at my feet. No. No, they are wrong. I'd never kill anyone!

"I have an objection, sir!" someone shouts over the crowd's whispering. It came from the Survey Corp's side, and when I turn back around, I see Eren with his hand raised high.

"Yes, Eren Jaeger?" the judge asks.

"Well," he begins, "Kyla had multiple occasions in which she could of easily killed me and Levi's Squad. Once, when we were camping for the night. We were all at a vulnerable state where she could of swiftly killed us in our sleep. A second time was when she was riding on a horse with me." He blushes a little, but continues. "I hope you take that into consideration."

I smile. It's true, if I was cold-hearted, I could of killed them in those situations. Suddenly, Hanji also speaks up. "I would also like to say that Kyla had given up the usage of her hand to collect my notebook in the stampede of Titans."

The judge raises his eyebrows. "Is this so, Kyla?"

To prove Hanji is right, I painfully lift my injured hand, which has stopped bleeding but still hurts like hell. The judge squints at takes a good minute to inspect my hand until he finally nods and I drop my hand back to my side. He looks around the Survey Corps, almost like he's trying to weed someone out, when he finally nods to himself, settling on someone.

"Armin Arlert," he shouts, nodding towards him. Armin jumps at the sudden mention of his name, but then replies, "Yes, sir!"

"In the report, it states that you and Jean Kirstein had delivered Kyla to the Levi Squad. Did Kyla look human to you?"

Armin looks confused for a moment, then answers, "Well, yes. I mean, she has brown hair and blue eyes-"

"Did she look human or not, Arlert?"

Armin blushes for a moment, then answers truthfully, "Yes, sir. She looked human."

I sigh. All these guys are backing me up- I feel recognized for once. I turn to the judge, who is scribbling things down on his papers quickly and silently. A bead of sweat runs down my forehead. I hope with all the evidence they Survey Corps have provided, he is considering letting me off easy. Then maybe, just maybe, after all of this is done, I could figure out how to get home. Yeah, that'd be nice.

"Kyla Williams," the judge booms. "Despite all the proof your fellow comrades have provided me with, there are still uncertainties of your figure. I still do not know if I should classify you as a criminal or not. After all, you seem to be no more than a burden to anyone that has been put in charge of you."

I bite my lip. I'm about to say something when a familiar voice says, "She could be a solider."

Everyone, including me, turns to Levi, who's standing between Eren and Erwin, looking almost like a child since he's so short. His eyes are searching the judge's.

"What makes you think that, Corporal Levi?" the judge questions.

"She did help us a couple times in our run out there," Levi states, crossing his arms. "She seems able enough to use maneuver gear, also old enough."

The judge considers this, tapping his fingers on the wooden table.

"We could put her to use," Levi continues. "Instead of throwing her in jail and letting her sit there all day, she could be put to use of humankind."

The judge nods. "Yes, that is true. But how can you be sure she's not a criminal?"

Levi sighs. "As my comrades have said, she has not been any trouble to us. And I don't think a criminal would look so small and helpless."

I eye him. Yes, I know I'm small for a 15-year-old. There's no reason he should rub that in. I mean, look who's talking! He can't be more than 5' 5''. But then again, if it's to help me get out of this, then I won't complain.

The judge is writing things down, processing this in his mind. Then, he finally nods to himself and straitens up in his chair. Everyone falls silent, and I know this will be his final decision. I hold my breath as his lips part, and the whole world seems to go into slow motion. This is it.

"I have made my decision," the judge declares. "Kyla Williams, for punishment of her actions, shall join any military branch of her choice."

I let out a sigh of relief. That isn't bad. Not really, considering the other things he could of done. So I'm assuming the people with the two roses are the third branch, then the Military Police and the Survey Corps. Right. I'll have to join one of them.

"Case dismissed," the judge announces, standing and walking away.

"Kyla!" Eren shouts, jumping over the metal bars and running towards me, followed by Armin and another girl with short black hair. He stops and sighs. "I was worried he'd end you off to prison."

I laugh. "So was I. Thank god he didn't. Thanks for helping me, by the way. You too, Armin."

Armin smiles. "No problem."

Eren then moves to the side to reveal the girl behind him. "This is my, erm, sister, Mikasa."

"Hi," I say, waving at her. She waves back.

"She's in the Survey Corps with us," Eren explains. He glances down at his feet, but then catches my eye. "Which one are you going to join, anyway?"

I shake my head. I don't want to tell them probably not the Survey Corps, since I never want to meet one of those Titans ever again. Ever.

Three men approach us, two I recognize: Erwin and Nile. The other is a man with the two roses sign, and looks older than both Erwin and Nile. He smiles when he sees me.

"Ah! You're the famous Kyla, aren't you?" he says, extending a hand for me to shake. I take it wearily and we shake. "I'm Pixis, Commander of the Garrison. Nice to meet ya."

I nod. Eren, Armin and Mikasa follow us out of the courtroom and into a hallway behind it. The three men don't talk, neither does Eren, Armin or Mikasa. Instead we stay quiet until the men in front of us stop and turn to me.

"You choose here," Erwin declares. "Survey Corps, Military Police, or Garrison."

Nile steps forward. "Military Police would probably be the most ideal to you," he explains. "You live in the interior, and never have to encounter the Titans. It does require work, so don't think you just slack around all the time."

Pixis coughs, interrupting Nile."Yes, but I think you'd like the Garrison better. You guard the gates, and it gets interesting when you have occasional combat with Titans if the wall gets breached, instead of laying around in the interior all day pushing around civilians."

Nile grits his teeth.

I look at Erwin, expecting him to explain the Survey Corps to me, but instead he just nods and says quietly, "I think you already know."

_Suddenly, there's a big booming sound, and a blinding light fills the forest._

I nearly stumble back. Why am I remembering this now?

_There, on the truck of the tree, lies Petra._

Tears start to well up in my eyes. Not now. Please, not now. I can't bear to remember.

_Spine broken, blood sprayed in every possible location. Her eyes gazing dully into the sky. She's dead. Petra's dead._

"No!" I shout, grasping the sides of my head. Everyone looks at me, clearly confused.

_The female type raises her fist and punches Oluo, sending him flying to the ground in a mass of blood and broken bones._

I'm crying now. Eren and Armin rush to my side and help steady myself. When I open my eyes, everyone is looking at me with concern. I wipe away my tears and brush off Eren and Armin. I sigh. Now I know what I need to do. I can't believe it, and I really don't want to, but I can't let their deaths be meaningless.

I look at Erwin, and opening my mouth I say,

"I'm joining the Survey Corps."


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

Everyone stares at me, obviously baffled. I'm surprised at myself, too. I almost want to take it back, because now I'll have to face them again- but I remember my reason and stand strong.

"Uh," Pixis finally says. "You're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," I say, trying to sound stronger than I feel. I glance at Eren, Armin and Mikasa. Eren looks horrified, Armin looks confused, and Mikasa... I can't tell.

"I'll inform Corporal Levi at once," Erwin declares, turning to leave. I watch as Nile follows him, sneaking me a nasty glance while he's at it. Pixis follows them.

"Are you crazy, Kyla?!" Eren shouts, grabbing my shoulders.

"I-" I stutter, trying to look for an explanation. "I just wanted-"

Mikasa reaches over and silently grasps Eren's hands, pulling them off my shoulders.

"You do realize what you'll have to do now, right?" Mikasa asks me evenly.

"Yes," I respond. "I do."

She nods, then looks at Eren. "We should probably go find Erwin and Levi."

"Right," he mutters. He brushes past me, followed by Mikasa. Armin motions for me to go, and I do. We cross the hallways until we reach a set of double doors leading outside. Almost directly outside we find Erwin and Levi, Erwin on a horse about to ride away while Levi is on the ground. Once we come out, Erwin nods at Levi and rides away. Levi turns to us.

"About time," he mutters, brushing his shoulders off. "We need to stock up."

"For what?" Eren asks.

"Well, this brat obviously needs training. We're going to head to the abandoned castle outside the walls, along with Hanji and some select graduates from your trainee squad to train Kyla until she's truly fit to go on a expedition."

We have no complaints. We spend the next half hour or so going from store to store gathering supplies to bring along with us. I also meet the trainee graduates that will be traveling with us: Jean, Sasha, Connie, Ymir and Christa.

When we're finally ready to go, we round up the horses we need and set off past the gates.

It's about a four hour ride from the gate to the castle. We did this formation thing that apparently had been done before, with Eren and I in the dead center, Levi and Hanji ahead of us, and then the rest making up the side.

Finally, after hours of riding, we arrive at the secluded castle just before the sun is about to set. We're all exhausted, so we bring our horses to the stall and enter the castle.

It's not ginormous, but still has size. We all get our own separate bedrooms, which I head to mine instantly. It was on level four, second down. Or was it third?

When I reach the room, I collapse onto the bed, glad the day is almost over. I can't believe what's happened. Had I really arrived in court today? It feels like ages, no- centuries ago.

As it gets darker, I realize I should probably get to bed. I mean, Levi will probably get us all up early to start my training. Which means I will need to get some serious shut-eye tonight.

I quickly take off my T shirt and jeans so I'm only in my undergarments and fold them nearly on the dresser next to my bed, then turn off the lamp, lifting the covers of the bed.

Then, all a sudden my door opens and in walks Eren. I gasp and grab the cover myself. I begin to blush like crazy, and so does he. He covers his face instantly.

"Ah! Just uh... I have the uh..." my eyes widen as I stutter. "Erm, the wrong room!"

"Get out!" He shouts. I gasp at his sudden raise of voice, but shrug it off. He's probably as embarrassed as I am, to find a girl in his own bed. I blush even more as I grab my clothes and quickly exit the room, yelling sorry over my shoulder. Ugh, how could I be that stupid?! Of course mine was third down! Of course!

When I get to my real room, I throw my clothes down carelessly and hop into my own bed, wrapping the covers around me protectively. I look out the window and see the moon is full. Just like the night before this all happened. When I was at home. And safe.

When I hear the birds chirping outside, I yawn and force myself out of bed. Today's the day where I begin training. Right. I quickly get dressed and pull my hair back into a tight ponytail.

I walk down the hallway, glancing at Eren's door as I pass it, still utterly embarrassed. When I reach downstairs, Hanji, Eren and Armin are waiting for me.

"Well, look at our very own Kyla!" Hanji says, clapping her hands twice. "You ready to start?"

I nod wearily and follow the three outside. The first thing I notice are two tall wooden poles with two lines attached to them, the lines attached to hook-like things.

"This is what every training cadet must start off with," Armin explains at my confused look. "It's supposed to intimidate maneuver gear, so you can practice without the dangers of actually having to maneuver around."

"You'll have to put this on, though," Hanji interrupts, handing me a pair of white pants, brown boots and a load of belts that must serve as a harness. I reluctantly take them and then hurry back into the castle and find a room to change. I kept on my T-shirt, since they didn't really give me a shirt to wear, and tuck the ends into the pants to they don't get in the way. Then, I tackle the harness.

I get some of it on, but I have to admit I'll need he'll getting the rest on. Nervously I walk back outside with some of the straps dragging behind me in the dirt.

"Um, I need help getting these straps on," I say, Turing towards the three waiting.

"I'll help," Eren and Armin say at the same time. I blush.

"Why do you want to, Armin?" Eren says in a playful taunting tone. "I bet you're just a pervert."

"I am not a pervert! Maybe you are!" Armin snaps.

I blush like crazy, waving my arms widely to stop the two boys from getting too serious about this. "It's fine! I'll just have Hanji get them, I guess."

"Yeah, you two," Hanji scolds, brushing past the two and kneels down so she can figure out the harness. "Quit acting like kids and get serious."

When the harness is finally set and ready to go, they attach me to the lines of the poles.

"Alright. So what you have to do is just balance on there. The key is to do it for an extended time, so when you're ready to switch to actual 3D Maneuver Gear, you won't be falling from midair," Hanji explains. "Alright, Armin, crank it up!"

I look at Armin, who nods and starts to turn the crank that lifts the lines. I gulp nervously. I've never been really balanced- I could never ride a bike without training wheels until recently. So once my feet leave the ground, I wobble for a split second then go careening forwards- right into Eren's arms. He gasps when he catches me, and I blush like crazy, but he lifts me back up in no time and Armin let's down the lines. I breathe out with disappointment.

"Don't worry," Eren assures me. "I didn't get it right away, too. You'll do fine."

"Yeah," Armin agrees. "Why don't you try again?"

"Y-yeah," I say, backing away from Eren and readying myself. Armin raises the lines again, and of course I fall again, Eren catching me again. Ugh. I can't help but feel anxious. What if I never get this?! What if I'm stuck riding on horseback, just being a burden on expeditions until a Titan manages to- I shake my head. No. I will get this. Even if it kills me.

"Do it again," I order. Armin nods and cranks it up again. This time I manage to waver in the air for a few seconds before I swing backwards this time- landing dead on my back. I yelp as my head hits the ground, and instantly Eren and Armin are helping me up. After I verify I'm okay, I try again. And again.

"Alright, Kyla," Hanji says, playing with her ponytail. "I think it's time to call it quits for now."

"N-no," I stammer, rubbing my forehead where I managed to bang it. "Just one m-more time."

"Kyla," Eren says sternly, "Listen to her. You're all battered up. You should take a rest."

"But-"

"No buts," he says, reaching around my waist to unclip the lines.

I watch him and don't resist. Instead, I walk around him and walk inside. I can't believe I just failed miserably. In front of Hanji and Eren and Armin, too. I just can't believe it. If I'm going to be able to survive out there when we go on expeditions, then I'll need to learn how to balance myself and use that stupid maneuver gear.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I turn around and see Levi walking down the stairway towards me, his eyes questioning.

"I was just, um, practicing with the lines and all," I say.

"And?"

I bite my lip. "I- I didn't do that good."

He nods his head, obviously uninterested, and starts to walk away when I finally ask the question that's been nagging me ever since the trail.

"Why did you bail me out?" I ask, almost pleadingly.

He stops and turns towards me.

"Do you really think I can do this? Or was it just do get me out?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "I only got you off easy because Eren asked me to," he states. "No- more like begged me to. That boy's really out for your well being, I tell you." And then he turns and walks away.

I stand there. Eren really cares that much? I blush at the thought. I honestly don't know if I should like that or not. It could effect my training, but it could also keep me out of harms way. And could that also means he... likes me? No. I'm just a regular girl, not even from his world, anyway. There's no possible way...

I walk up to my room and change out of the harness. I leave the pants on, because I don't feel like getting back into my old jeans. Honestly I could just throw those out. But then again, I'd have nothing else to wear. But I'm sure the other girls could have something I could borrow.

Suddenly, there's a knock at my door. I get up and open it to find a girl with brownish-reddish hair and a boy with a buzz cut. Sasha and Connie, I think.

"Yes?"

"Hanji and Levi wanted to see you," Sasha states.

I gulp. "For what?"

Connie shrugs. "Who knows? If I were you, though, I'd get down there as quick as possible."

I thank them for telling me, then close the door. What could those two possibly want now? I hope it's not something bad. I hope, hope, hope.


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

When I get downstairs, Hanji is waiting for me, looking over a notepad curiously. On closer inspection, it's the one I saved for her. She peeks over the rim of her glasses when she seems me, then a wild grin explodes across her face.

"Hey, Kyla!" She exclaims, setting the notepad down on a nearby table. "Corporal Levi and I wanted to talk to you in private for a minute."

I gulp. "Why... private?"

Hanji stops in her tracks. "Well, let's just say it shouldn't be discussed while the others are around. I sent them all off to lunch, so they shouldn't be a bother."

I bite my lip as I follow her down a corridor and enter a room. Levi is in it, sitting in a wooden chair near a small wooden table. The room also has a window that is letting in the afternoon sunlight, which makes it less creepy.

"Sit," Levi orders. I take the nearest chair, and Hanji does the same.

"Am I in trouble?" I ask nervously.

Levi raises an eyebrow. "No. We just wanted to ask you something. Hanji?"

Hanji clears her throat and says, "Kyla, I've been wondering how you truly ended up where's you were that day. I mean, it obvious you're not from around here. I've never seen you before, and certainly never heard of 'Oklahoma'" she gestures to my t-shirt. "You can be honest with us. That's why it's private, so you don't have to worry about others hearing."

I glance at both of them, then stare down at my hands. Should I even trust these two with the truth? I haven't known them for that long- Hanji I only met yesterday, Levi two days ago. They did help me get out of court easy, though. But didn't Levi tell me it was because Eren had told me to?

"Come on, brat," Levi says coldly. "We don't have all day, you know."

"I-" I start, still unsure whether to tell or not.

"Listen," Levi mutters, leaning forward in his chair. "I won't tolerate lying. You don't have any reason to lie, after all. What good will it do you? It will just keep you from facing your problems that will soon come ahead. So answer truthfully or we'll have to use force."

"Levi," Hanji says. "Don't scare the poor thing. Anything could of gotten her here."

I gulp. As always, Levi's right. If I lie, no one will help me when problems arise later. So I take a deep breath, and tell them everything, from the beginning of that day when I had gone out that morning to the ruins to the minute I was snatched up by a Titan. They both listen, to my surprise, especially Hanjj, who seems very interested, in fact.

When I'm done, I let out a deep sigh. "Please don't think I'm crazy. It's the truth, like you asked."

"Well, with everything going on lately, that's not the most insane thing I've heard," Levi replies.

"So you believe me?"

He shrugs and turns to Hanji, who's eyes are practically sparkling.

"It's like you traveled between dimensions or something! SO COOL!" she cries, slamming her palms down on the table. Both Levi and I jump at her sudden outburst.

"Is that everything?!" Hanji pleads. "There has to be more!"

"Hanji-" Levi begins.

"No! I need to know, Kyla. Where is the key now?"

I reach for my neck, since the last time I had it, I had slipped its rope around my neck to keep it for profit. But I only touch bare skin, which surprises me. Had it really fallen off somewhere?

I sigh. "I don't know, Hanji. It must of fallen off while I was on horseback or something."

She sighs, clearly disappointed, but then perks up to say something else, but Levi cuts her off.

"Hanji. Before you go rattling about to the kids, you need to promise not to tell anyone. They'd only not trust Kyla more, and not what I need right now."

Hanji steadies her glasses. "I won't tell a soul!"

"Don't even write it down anywhere."

"Yes, sir!"

Levi nods to himself, then turns back to me. "Is there anything else you want to say?"

I'm about to shake my head no, but then something pops up in my mind.

"I'm sorry about your squad," I say.

Levi looks caught up a moment, but then mutters something I can't hear and stands up, walking out of the room. I watch him leave, then face Hanji.

"I wouldn't bring up that topic if I were you," Hanji warns. "He doesn't like to talk about it."

"Does he miss them at all?" I question, wondering if I went to far.

"Yes," Hanji responds. "Levi was very close to them."

I nod in understanding. I miss them too, especially Petra, but I can see that my missing is on a completely different level than Levi's, considering I only knew her and the rest of the squad for a mere day.

"We can go now," Hanji says, getting up from her chair and gesturing for me to do the same. I do, and follow her out of the room and back towards the main room. Everyone is, in fact, having lunch. Jean, Connie, and Sasha all have a little group in the middle of the table, and Ymir and Christa are sitting next to each other farther away from the three. Then, there's Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. Eren and Armin are leaning over the table, whispering and giggling about something, and then Mikasa taps Eren's shoulder and he sees me, blushing like crazy.

"Hey, Kyla!" He says, scooting over a bit so I can sit down.

"Hi," I say.

"So, what was all that about?" Armin asks me, gesturing towards Hanji.

"Oh, nothing- important," I state, hoping I sound convincing.

"They weren't worried about your training, were they?" Eren presses.

"N-no," I say. "I'd rather not talk about it, okay? It was just a quick talk."

"Ok then," Eren says.

I get myself a bowl of soup and I eat up. When I'm done, I stand up awkwardly.

"What do I do know?" I ask the three. "Are we going to train again?"

Suddenly two hands are on my shoulders. I jump and try to turn around to see who it is.

"Actually," the person says, who turns out to be Hanji. "We're gonna go into classroom work!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Classroom work?"

"Every good soldier needs to know everything about their enemy, or else how can you defeat it?"

"I- I know how to. You just cut at the nape of the neck, right?" I ask. Isn't that what I saw everyone trying to do back on the expedition, anyway?

"Well, yes, but do you know how wide?" Hanji asks. "How deep and how tall?"

"No," I state. Great. I can't avoid this, obviously. I shrug at the three and get up, preparing to follow Hanji to whatever torture she's going to put me through when she holds up a hand.

"Now, wait just a second!" She says, fixing her glasses and peering over my shoulder. "I'm here for Arlert, too."

Armin looks confused. "Me?"

"Well of course!" Hanji exclaims. "I'll need your hell teaching Kyla! You were on top of your class studies, so I hear."

Armin looks at me and blushes. "Well I- I don't know if I-"

"Go on, Armin," Eren encourages, waving his hand at me and then winking. Why did he wink? Armin nods and then gets up from his seat, following Hanji and I out of the mail hall and into a room with a few desks and a chalkboard. Perfect for a classroom.

"Alright," Hanji says, picking up a piece of chalk. "Let's begin."


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

By the time my lesson was over, Armin and I were practically sleeping over Hanji's words. She kept repeating herself over and over, being very enthusiastic. But this time she had gone completely overboard.

"Hey!" Hanji snaps, snapping her finger in front of my face. "You with me?"

Before I can respond, Armin grabs Hanji's arm. "Hanji, I think it's time to give it a break. We've been at it for a while."

Hanji nods. "Very well. I hope you learned quite a but today!" And then she bolts out the door, leaving only Armin and I.

I yawn. "Is she gone?"

"Yeah," Armin replies. "We should probably find the others and get ready for some more maneuver gear practice."

I nod wearily and follow Armin out of the room and to the main hall. The tables are bare, and the only people in sight are Christa and Ymir, who are walking down the stairway that leads to the rooms.

"Hey!" Armin calls, jogging over to them. "Have you seen Eren by any chance? Or Corporal Levi?"

Ymir shakes her head. "Last time I saw Eren he was heading outside with Jean and the others to patrol."

"Patrol? What do you mean?"

Ymir rolls her eyes. "What else can I mean?"

Christa speaks up. "Corporal had ordered them to patrol because he had spotted some Titans out in the distance earlier."

I shudder. Titans? Now? I don't want to even imagine what would go down if they attacked the fortress. Everyone would be able to fight except me. Which makes me even more motivated to get the stupid maneuver gear right.

"Come on, Armin," I say, grasping his jacket sleeve. "We can go train by ourselves, right?"

"Uh-" Armin stutters. "You sure? No one would be there to catch you like last time-"

"I won't need catching this time," I assure him.

"Go on," Ymir says, waving us off. "Knock yourselves out."

I start to walk towards the doorway, Armin quickly following my footsteps. I barge through the front doors confidently and stride over to the poles, attaching the lines to my harness myself.

"Alright, Armin! I'm ready!"

Armin nods wearily and begins to crank the lines up. Slowly, my feet leave the ground. I thrust my arms out, trying desperately to balance.

"Hey! I'm doing it!" I cry out. But right after I begin to wobble, then go careening forwards. Luckily I'm able to catch myself with my hands, but landing of my injured one makes me cry out.

"Kyla!" Armin shouts, letting the lines back down and rushing towards me.

Blood is beginning to pool. I think I opened up the would again. I cringe and slowly tear away the bandages to see that I have.

"I'll be right back," Armin says quickly, rushing towards the castle. I kneel there, grasping my throbbing hand.

Suddenly I hear the familiar zip of maneuver gear and look up to see a group of people fly above me. As I squint to see, I find out its the gang: Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Connie and Sasha. They go whizzing past me and over the castle's roof, soon out of eyesight. I sigh. I'll be up there with them someday. I just know it.

"Kyla!" Armin cries, running towards me in a mass of bandages. He clumsily drops some, but doesn't stop until he reaches me. Then he lets out a big sigh and kneels down in front of me.

"I really should be letting Christa do this," Armin mutters, taking my hand awkwardly and removing the old bandages. I cringe as he touches a tender part, but thankfully he didn't notice. He continues to wrap the bandages around until it stops the bleeding.

"Thanks," I say, holding up my hand.

"No problem," Armin says.

We both stand and I rub the back of my head awkwardly. "That was pretty much my fault, though. I was the one who thought miracles happen overnight."

"Don't worry," Armin assures me. "Many of us were just like you when we started. You'll probably get better quicker, since it's private training instead of trainee camp."

"Yeah," I agree, even though I have no idea what he is talking about. "So, can I give it another try?"

Armin holds up his hands. "I don't think quite yet, at least not without anyone here to catch you."

I bite my lip from protesting, but, realizing its true, I let it slide. The night is coming, anyway, so we should probably get inside and ready for bed.

Suddenly, the ground shakes wildly, and a big thud sound comes from near the back of the castle.

Armin gasps. "Titans!" He looks frantic for a second, but then he starts to run towards the castle. "Kyla! You get inside! I need to go help!"

"But-" I start, but he's already put of earshot by the time I do. I sigh. I hate the feeling of not being useful. I'll probably feel it a lot more until I can handle the maneuver gear and the blades. So I obey Armin's commands and slowly walk into the castle's safety.

When I enter, Armin is putting the maneuver gear on as quick as a hummingbird, and Ymir and Christa are no where in sight. I sigh. Maybe it's for the best. Come to think of it, I'm actually glad Armin isn't letting me fight. I'm not sure I'm ready to face the Titans again. Not after that horrible scene...

I walk slowly down the corridors, roaming the castle while the floors rattle from the battle raging on outside. I walk silently down the next bend and make a turn-

Abruptly the wall to my left is shattered by a giant foot, and shards of it go flying in my direction. I scream and duck, hoping nothing will hit me. But unfortunately, shards if rock bruise my face and cut up my arms and legs. One even manages to knock me in the stomach, leaving me nearly breathless.

Fear courses through my veins, and that's the only thing that keeps me awake. I regain my composure, I have one instinct: get the hell out of there.

I get up and bolt back down the hallway, not stopping until I'm sure I'm far away from the hole. Panting, I slump down against the wall. That was close. Too close for comfort.

Then, I'm crying. I don't know why, but I pull my knees to my chest and just cry. Maybe it's because I was scared like hell when that Titan burst through? Maybe because I know I would chicken if I was out there? I don't know. But I cry for a while until the rattling outside finally stops.

Are the Titans defeated? Did anybody die? Those are the two questions that pop into my head. Then, I hear the slamming of doors and several voices muttering. I must be close to the main door. I wipe away my tears and look down at myself.

I'm a mess. I brush my fingers across my face and flinch at even the lightest touch. My arms are scraped raw, and my new white pants are more like new, shredded brown pants. Some of the harness straps had gotten cut, so they lay loosely by my side. And I'm covered in a thin layer of dust. Just great.

I force myself up, and, with aching legs, walk towards the voices. Soon I get to the main room where we are lunch together a few hours ago. Everyone's there- except Eren.

My face goes pale. Where is he? He couldn't possibly...

"I wouldn't worry much about it," Connie says just before I loose it. "He went off in a rage upstairs."

I nearly sigh with relief.

"What happened?" Jean asks, gesturing to my looks. "You look like crap."

I open my mouth to speak, but all a sudden I hear a heavy thud sound from upstairs. Judging by everyone else's gaze, so did they.

"Was that-"

"Eren." Mikasa mumbles, yanking down her red scarf so it doesn't cover her mouth. In a mad dash she begins to climb the stairs towards his room. The group naturally follows a few yards behind her. I lag behind.

Then, I hear a strangled cry quickly identified to be Mikasa's.

"Eren? EREN!"

Oh, no. Did he... transform? Inside? No, the rooms weren't that big enough. No way. So it has to be something else. What could be worse than transforming though? My heart thumps as I climb the stairs after the group, and as I watch people one by one stop at Eren's door, their face awstruck,I quicken my pace. Please let Eren be okay. Please.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

I wait outside Mikasa's room, biting nervously at my nails. She had found Eren unconscious in his room, everything completely ruined, and his head severely cut from glass. Everyone was nervous for him, but not as much as Mikasa. I can see the sisterly love going on right now. Which makes me ache for Olive. Which makes me ache for my parents. Which makes me homesick all over again.

I hear footsteps walking steadily down the hallway, and turn to see Levi walking towards me and Mikasa's room. I look away. last time I saw him, I nearly ticked him off. When he sees me, his wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"You're absolutely filthy," he says, stopping a distance from me as if I stink. Which I probably do.

"Well, I'm sorry a Titan nearly bashed my head open!" I snap. Ugh. There has to be other things to worry about, for example IF EREN IS OKAY rather than my own hygiene.

"Go take a shower or something," Levi says, waving me off.

"But-"

He cuts me off. "If you're going to stay here, you'll play under my rules. Now go."

I open my mouth to protest again, but instead shut it and stomp down the hallway. If I fight with him now, he'll probably just make me do more work.

So I walk back downstairs towards the showers and take a quick one, washing all the dust and grime off of me. I find stocks of clothing in a closet behind the showers and take a plain blue, V-neck T shirt and a pair of white pants to go with it. I also grab another harness and sling it over my shoulder, taking it to my room and hanging it up. Then I pull my hair back so that half of it is down and the other half is pulled back into a tight, dark knot.

I look out the window. The sun had set while I was showering, so the moon is out. Not full this time, but close. I wonder if Eren is awake. If he feels okay. It kinda scares me. What made him go on that rage? Did he cut himself on purpose? Not knowing the answers just nag at me so much, but I force myself to lie down in bed and close my eyes, slowly drifting off into sleep.

* * *

Bang.

Bang.

My eyes flutter open. Bang. There it is again. I prop myself up on one elbow and squint around my bedroom. It's coming from outside my bedroom. When I turn to the window, I see the sun is just barely over the horizon. Which means it can't be what, 3, 4 o'clock? I rub my eyes, starting to think it was just a dream when-

Bang!

I jolt up this time. I shiver all over. The fact that this is a old castle and there are mysterious banging noises gives me the creeps. It couldn't possibly be ghosts, could it? Of course it could. Wouldn't be the most surprising thing out of everything I've seen so far.

I grab the oil lamp on my bedpost and slowly get out of my bed. It can't be horrible, can it? Maybe it's someone knocking at my door. Yeah. It's probably just that.

I open my door a crack, peering out into the dimly lit hallway. No ones there. I sigh with relief and open the door wildly now. Ha. I got nervous for nothing!

But when I look down, I want to scream. There, on the floor, is the dusty footprint of a Titan. And more lead around the corner.

I freeze up instantly, realizing. Titans. The hole. The smaller ones, maybe 3 or 4 meter classes could easily get inside. Big or small, they're still man-eating monsters. And with Eren injured...

I tiptoe out, sweat running down my forehead. Titans are in the castle. They could be at any turn. So I slowly creep down the corridor until I reach the first room of my hallway. Who did it belong to again? I don't remember, but I softly knock on its door, trying not to gain attention to our unwelcome guests.

When no one answers, I knock a little louder.

"Hey!" I half-whisper. "Hey!"

Then I hear it. Deep moaning sounds that can only be those of a Titan's. I freeze up. It sounded close. Way too close. My hands begin to shake as I raise it back to the door, unwilling to look behind me. This time, I spare no time and bang loudly on the door, screaming, "TITANS!"

Then I feel two large hands grip my shoulders, and I whip around to see the smiling face of a Titan several feet taller than me. I scream and kick it away, swinging my oil lamp at its face, hoping to knock it out or something to give me time to flee to my room. But instead, the lamp itself is dented, leaving me with nothing to defend myself with.

This is it. I'm going to die here.

I scream as I try and outrun it down the hallway but it snatches me at the leg and trips me, slamming my head down on the polished wooden floor. Black dots blur my vision. I look up and see the Titan lowering itself down towards me. I will myself to get up, but my mind any process anything except fear for my own life.

Then, the Titan abruptly falls on me lifelessly. I scream as its warm body collides with mine, and I manage to wiggle my way out of the bottom. I glance up to see who it was and see Sasha, carrying a pocket knife than is now slimed with Titan blood.

"Oh my gosh, Kyla!" she cries, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. "Are you okay?! I'm sorry I didn't come sooner!"

I open my mouth to speak but then my eyes widen. Another one, this one thinner than the other, is running towards us. I point at it and Sasha whirls around just in time to slash it's eyes. It backs up, howling in pain, and starts slashing at thin air, searching for us blindly. Sasha grabs me and we run down the hallway and make a turn.

She grips the knife, her hand shaking slightly. "How did they even get it?! There's no way they finally learned how to open doors!"

I bite my lip, wondering if now is the time to tell them about the hole in the castle walls. It'd probably only anger her, so I keep it to myself, thinking of how much of a horror movie this seems like.

"The Titan's eyes will regenerate in about 30 seconds," Sasha says, almost like she's repeating something. "Need to get the nape- yeah, the neck's nape. Slash it-"

"SASHA!" I screech, pointing at the Titan. It's still blind, but it's swinging arms could detect Sasha any second now.

Sasha nearly screams herself but regains her courage shortly after, standing and gesturing for me to be quiet.

You don't have to tell me twice.

She sneaks past the swinging Titan, readying her knife for the kill. She wields it flawlessly and the Titan stops flailing his arms around, collapsing to the floor.

"We should go alert the others," Sasha warns. "We need to find the source of how they got it, and patch it up."

"Right," I say, following her. Steadily and carefully we stop at each door, warning everybody that there is possibility Titans in the castle. So far we haven't seen any but those two, but with Titans you never know.

After I inform the squad leaders about the giant foot accident that has allowed the Titans in, they both head off with several supplies along with the help of Connie and Jean to patch up the hole. I hurry down to the last door- Mikasa's. I lift my hand to knock, and almost immediately the door is opened.

"Yes?" she asks, surprised to see me this early in the morning.

I open my mouth to tell Mikasa about the Titans, but instead find myself glancing curiously over her shoulder to see Eren sleeping almost peacefully on one side of Mikasa's bed. I instantly go red all over, but then remember. They're siblings. It's normal for siblings to sleep together, right? I mean, who doesn't?

She catches my gaze and smiles awkwardly. "He's doing okay. Is that why you're here?"

I blush. "N- no! It's just, um, Titans have kinda invaded the castle, and we're not sure if we've eliminated them all yet, so just be on guard."

Mikasa's eyes flicker, then she looks behind her at Eren.

"You should wake him up then," she says surprisingly calm. Then she moves aside so I can enter.

Awkwardly, I come in. Mikasa begins to put on her maneuver gear and load it with blades. I walk over to Eren and sit down next to him, shaking him gently.

"Eren?" I whisper. "Get up."

He moans and turns to his side. "Not now, Mikasa."

"Eren!" I say, louder, giving him a violent jolt. "Titans are here! You need to get up!"

Eren opens his eyes, turning and sitting up slowly, wincing as he does so. "Titans?"

"Eren," Mikasa says from across the room. She already has her gear on and has her hands clasped around the doorknob, ready to leave. "Come with me to get some maneuver gear. Kyla, you too. If we're gonna kill all the invading Titans, we'll need the blades."

I help Eren up and offer him my shoulder, but he just waves me off. "I'd be too heavy. I can walk myself."

I nod uncertainly and follow Mikasa out the door, with her leading and me taking up the rear, which unnerves me a little, knowing Titans could pop out of nowhere now.

When we walk downstairs to the main room, no Titans are in sight. Yet. We quickly cross the room to the storage rooms and grab two pairs of gear.

"But I don't know how to use it," I say, holding up the metal.

"Just use the blades. You remember what Hanji and Armin taught you, right?" Mikasa points out. "Just slash at their necks and make a deep enough hole. You won't have to use the actual maneuver gear, since we'll mostly be indoors."

I nod uncertainly. I have Mikasa hook up my maneuver gear to my harness, and then she shows me how to properly hold the blades and all. They seem surprisingly light, giving that their metal and long. I shrug. I'll have to deal with it for now.

* * *

I hold the blades awkwardly in my hands and follow Mikasa and Eren down a corridor. So far we haven't encountered a Titan, though I nearly hurt Connie when he and his little group of Jean and Armin came along.

"Oi!" Connie says, failing up his arms just as I stop the swing inches from his face.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry!" I squeal, retracting my blades. "I didn't mean to-"

"We're all jittery," Eren says, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It was an accident."

"She nearly killed me!" Connie exclaims, jabbing his finger at my blades. "Are you sure you can even trust her with those?!"

"Connie!" Armin shouts.

Connie sighs and eyes me, then continues on down the hallway behind us.

"You should be more careful," Mikasa whispers. "Be glad it wasn't one of the squad leaders."

I grip the blades, my hands sweating. That would of turned up very bad on my part. Especially if it was Levi. God, would that piss him off.

Suddenly, we hear a deep groaning sound ahead of us. Mikasa stops in front of us, and gestures for us to get ready. I do, but I can't help but have my hands shaking. I try and lower them out of Mikasa's and Eren's views.

Then, all a sudden, a Titan comes roaring down the corridor. I gasp. It's the biggest one I've seen before, almost reaches the high ceiling. I hold in a scream as it approaches, and we all dart out the way. Then Eren runs up behind it and hooks his maneuver gear to the ceiling, propelling himself onto the Titan's shoulders and making an easy kill out of it.

We don't have time to applaud him, because three others are coming, one on Mikasa's side, two on Eren's side. I nervously glance at Mikasa, who's expressionless at the moment. What did she have to go through to not be scared at these points?

Suddenly they all come charging at us. On closer inspection, the one running towards Mikasa has blood stains around its mouth and dripping down its chest. I shiver. It didn't... eat anyone, did it?

But I don't have time to think because one Titan barrels past Eren like he isn't even there and comes after me. My heart rate surges as I prepare the blades, shaking like crazy.

"Kyla!" Eren shouts. "Mikasa, you need to help her!"

But Mikasa's to busy fighting the Titan attacking her to help me, so I nervously watch the Titan come, and once it's close enough I dart out of the way and end up behind it. This is my chance. Don't blow it!

I run up to the Titan, praying it wont turn around, and raise my blades. I slice the nape of the neck, not as cleanly as the others, but enough to make it drop, dead. Blood goes flying everywhere, splattering on my new clothes and my face, but I don't even care. I just killed one of those bitches. Yes!

Mikasa and Eren had finished theirs off, and when Eren turns to see if I had finished the Titan, his eyes widen.

"Nice job, Kyla!" Eren says.

I thank him quickly and then turn back to Mikasa. As I do, the blood on my clothes and all start to evaporate, setting off steam. It's weird and cool at the same time.

Suddenly, we hear voices. I instantly recognize one as Hanji's, which means the other has to be Levi's. We all compose ourselves just they round the corner, their own bodies covered in a layer of dust. And Levi is hating it, I can tell.

"Oh, hey!" Hanji says, jumping excitedly. "Can you believe that we are getting to experience Titans inside this fortress! It's so fascinating!"

"Would you shut up already," Levi mutters, brushing his shoulders off.

"We should really capture one alive! That would help Kyla in her studies, wouldn't it? And it would be so wonderful to keep one here!"

I think my eyes are deceiving me, but is the woman actually drooling? I don't know. She's insane, is all I know.

"Cadets," Levi mutters. "How many Titans have you slain so far?"

"4, sir," Mikasa replies. "6 counting the ones that Sasha killed earlier."

Levi shakes his head. "How many of them had gotten in?" He walks past us, stepping over the evaporating Titan bodies like they're no more than logs in a forest. "Come on, Hanji. We need to find the others and get a rough guess at how many got it."

"Yes, sir!" Hanji exclaims, running after the Corporal. I watch them go silently until they're completely gone, and then let out a sigh.

"We should probably get going," I say.

"Yes," Mikasa mumbles, and begins to walk away, gesturing for us to follow. Eren follows first, then, with one last glance at the dead Titans surrounding us, I do, too.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

We check every other corridor that hasn't been checked, and come to the conclusion that we had finished them off, for now at least. Levi and Hanji had only managed to pile up some debris in the opening, so there's no guarantee that the Titans would stay out for much longer.

Walking towards the main room, we put our blades back into their holders and sighed with relief.

"I never want that to happen again," I state. "It scared the shit out of me."

"Look who's talking," Eren says, patting me on the back. "You just made your first kill without even using the maneuver gear."

I blush. I do feel good about myself, even though that Titan was nothing compared to the ones I'll face on expeditions now. If I even survive till then, or somehow find a way home.

After all this commotion, I nearly forgot about it. Which makes me feel guilty; I forgot about Olive, mom, and dad. I wonder if they're even looking for me, if they even know I'm gone. They probably do, seeing its been days since I've seen their faces. I miss them.

"Kyla?" Eren says, waving his hand in front of my face.

"H-huh?" I say, blinking. I look around and see I'm in bed somewhere, with Eren on a chair next to it. I shake my head in confusion.

"You fainted," Eren says. "I think you were just overwhelmed or something. Nothing serious."

I sit up. On closer inspection, it looks like I'm in my own room. No one else is in here except Eren, which is kind of awkward, but he's just visiting, right?

"Are you dizzy?"

"No, I'm fine. What time is it?"

"Still early. You weren't out for long," he says, then takes a deep breath. "Levi took Mikasa, Ymir, Christa, and Jean to watch guard outside while Hanji took Armin, Sasha and Connie to help permanently patch up the hole."

"Why didn't you go help? I would of been fine on my own."

"What if a Titan burst in while you were out? You wouldn't of been fine then," he states, getting up. "If you're fine to walk, then we can head down to help now if you want."

I get out of bed and test out if I can walk, succeeding with only a few wobbles. I nod at Eren and we exit my room quickly.

As we walk down the hallway, Eren suddenly stops me in my tracks, looking around.

Nervously, I glance around, too. "What is it?" I whisper.

Eren cocks his head to the side, listening. "You don't hear that?"

I listen closely, and sure enough, I begin to hear this moaning sound that on first thought I think is a Titan, but as I strain my ears, it begins to sound more and more human. Someone I know.

Shivers go up my spine. "Eren, it sounds like-"

But he's already dashing down the hallway towards the sound and whatever gory scene it will bring us to. I follow him hesitantly, not sure if I want to see what lays ahead of us. I catch up to him, and see a look of concern on his face.

Then, we round the final corner, and see something that both horrifies me and relieves me.

Relief, because there's no Titan in sight. Yet, at least. But horrifies me because it's Hanji, laying on the floor like she collapsed, her head bleeding and pooling quickly.

"Hanji!" I cry, rushing forward ahead of Eren and kneeling down my her side, immediately lowering my ear to her chest. Thankfully, I hear a faint heartbeat.

"Is she...?" Eren asks, running up to me.

"She's alive," I breathe, looking at her head. Suddenly it hits me. "Eren! We need to stop this bleeding before she bleeds to death!"

Eren looks around frantically, looking for something, while I manage to roll Hanji over so that her head lays on my lap and her head is somewhat elevated.

"Hanji?" I say, looking into her eyes, wondering if she's awake or not.

To my relief, she blinks and her eyes slowly focus onto mine.

"Here," Eren says, and I look over at him to see him pulling of his shirt, then handing it to me. I blush a little, since I've never seen Eren shirtless before, but now's not the time.

I take the shirt and rip it into long shreds, wrapping it around Hanji's head and then leaving some for later. She weakly smiles at us, but then seems to space out again.

"Will she be okay?" I ask Eren, hoping he's good at this stuff.

"I don't know," he says, obviously as clueless as I am. I sigh.

Then, I realize something. I jerk up. "Eren, didn't you say some people were with Hanji?"

Eren's face stiffens. "Y-yeah. Armin and Sasha and Connie-"

He's cut off by a loud scream that fills the hallways and makes Hanji stir.

"Armin!" Eren cries, leaping over Hanji and I. "You stay with Hanji!" he shouts and me, and then he dashes towards the scream that was supposedly Armin.

A cold shiver makes its way down my spine. First, we find Hanji like this, and now Armin and the others are in danger. I thought we had checked the whole fortress! We couldn't possibly missed any Titans! We couldn't of!

Then, everything goes unusually quiet. I don't hear Armin's screams anymore, or Eren's running footsteps. Someone, or something, must of over the other.

Then, I hear hurried footsteps come back again. This time their coming my way.

Eren turns the corner with a bloody Armin leaning on his shoulder, followed by Sasha and Connie. When they see me and Hanji, they both look relieved.

"Squad Leader Hanji!" Sasha cries out, rushing over to us. She stops when she nears us, and opens her mouth to say something, then almost immediately closing it.

"She's not dead," I say, confirming it to them.

Eren leads Armin to a wall and ten they both collapse leaning against it. I look at Armin, and see a horrible gaping wound on his shoulder. It almost looks like- a bite?

"Kyla!" Eren says. "Can I have one of those strips you made?"

I nod and hand one to him, and he presses it against Armin's wound, with is bleeding but not as bad as Hanji's.

"Eren," Armin mutters.

"Don't talk," Eren orders. "Let me get this to stop first."

I leave them be, then turn back to Connie and Sasha, who look awkward watching us with Hanji and Armin.

"Can I ask... what happened?" I ask them slowly.

Connie sighs. "This Titan- a bigger one, it had to duck under the ceiling- it came out of no where, and we were repairing the hole-"

he gestures to it, and that's the first time I realize it's right there- "when it lashed out at us, sending some debris flying, and one manages to get Hanji good in the head."

"It was horrible!" Sasha exclaims. "I was scared the Titan was gonna eat her- it was just over her- when Armin had thrown a rock at it's head and gained its attention. It must of been an Aberrant or something cause it started to run after him and didn't pay any attention to us- just whizzes past us and chased Armin until he was cornered!"

"We didn't get there in time," Connie says, staring at his feet. "We got lost in the hallways trying to track them down- and then we saw Eren running and followed him. Right when we got there, the Titan had chomped down on Armin's shoulder, barely missing his head- but thank god Eren was already at it's neck before it could do any more damage."

Sasha wails. "I feel so guilty that we hadn't gotten there in time!" She throws up her hands. "I'm so sorry!"

I bite my lip, trying to think of something to say, when I feel Hanji move slightly.

"Right!" I say. "We need to get Hanji somewhere safe, and we also need to get some more bandages!"

Connie and Sasha nod. I turn to Eren. "We're gonna take Hanji to her romm. You okay here with Armin?"

"We should be fine," Eren says, nodding at me. I nod back, and then Connie, Sasha and I all carry Hanji to her room, which is on an entirely different floor than ours (since she's a squad leader) and place her on her bed carefully.

"Alright," Connie says. "Kyla, are you a good nurse or anything?"

I shake my head. "Sorry, I only know as much as you guys do."

"I'll go get more bandages from the storage rooms!" Sasha exclaims, dashing out the door in a wink of an eye.

I prop Hanji's head up on a pillow, hoping that will help. Connie helps me remove her maneuver gear, and I carry it to the door, nearly ran over by Sasha, who comes in with an armful of bandages. She rushes over to the bed, and she and Connie begin removing the soaked strips of Eren's shirt and putting on real bandages.

I carry the maneuver gear to the storage rooms, and then quickly head back to Hanji's room, biting the insides of my cheeks nervously. Will Hanji be okay? How much blood did she loose? Hopefully we found her soon after it had happened. Yeah.

When I come back inside, Connie is leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed and Sasha is sitting next to the bed on a chair, watching the squad leader for anything.

"She fell asleep almost immediately after you left," Connie says. "She seems pretty stable. Breathing's okay. Heart's okay."

"That's a relief," I say, pulling up a chair.

"Corporal Levi is gonna be mad to see two injured soldiers," Sasha mutters.

"Screw him," Connie says. "We couldn't help it. The Titan was still in and we didn't find it."

"I hope they're all done now," I mumble, pulling my knees to my chest. "That would be a relief. I've had enough of then already."

Everyone is silent, until Connie finally speaks up.

"Did you see Armin and Eren by any chance?"

"No," I say, disappointed. I would of liked to- just to make sure they're both okay.

"Eren had said that the bite wasn't too deep when he found Armin," Connie replies. "He should be fine in a week or so, I think."

"Yeah," I agree. Sasha does, too.

Eventually, when we're sure Hanji would be okay by herself for while, we all head out, planning on carrying the message to the others that the hole hasn't been sealed yet and that Hanji and Armin are injured. As I'm the last one out, I take one last look at her, making sure that her breathing is steady, and then shut the door behind me and follow Connie and Sasha down the hallway, wondering if Eren and Armin made it back okay.


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

"Someone should of stayed with her," I mutter, walking silently behind Connie and Sasha. Sure, Hanji looked fine when we left her in her room, but then I keep remembering the state we found her in earlier- bloody, bruised, barely alive.

"Hanji'll be fine," Connie assures me. "She'll probably just have a headache for the next day or so."

"Be glad you found her alive," Sasha says.

"But that's what I'm worried about," I complain.

"Then you worry too much," Connie states.

I roll my eyes and decide to drop it. If Connie and Sasha think she'll be okay, then I guess I should, too. I mean, they've known her far longer than I have.

Suddenly, Sasha cries out, and Connie and I whirl around, prepared to face the Titan, when all we see us Jean. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Oi!" Jean exclaims. "What are you doing?"

"We heard screams!" Christa exclaims from behind him, her delicate blonde hair nearly concealing her tear-stained face. "Is everyone okay?"

I bite my lip, unsure how to answer. Does she mean is everyone alive? Or is everyone not hurt?

"Hanji and Armin are injured," Sasha blurts.

Everyone behind Jean gasps. Except for Levi, who walks out from behind him and stops in front of us.

"What this time?" he mutters.

"Hanji was hit in the head," I state. "Really bad. She's unconscious right now, but seems to be doing fine. Armin got bit by a Titan, and I don't know where he and Eren went."

Levi shakes his head, then turns to face all of us. "Mikasa, Jean, Connie and Sasha, you go look for the boys. The rest of you, let's go check if shitty-glasses is holding up." And then he starts walking ahead of us, obviously expecting us to follow.

We follow Levi silently down the corridors. Ymir and Christa don't speak. Levi doesn't speak. I don't, either. I'm nervous though. I wonder if Levi is mad because we left her by herself. But we had no choice, right?

Finally we come across her room. Levi enters first, followed by Ymir and Christa, I taking up the rear. As I peak over Ymir's shoulder, I see that Hanji is still breathing steadily.

"Kyla," Levi says, turning to me. "What happened?"

I bite my lip. "We- Eren and I, found her on the ground with a bleeding head. She was loosing blood fast, but we managed to somewhat stop it with some cloth. Then we had heard Armin scream and when Eren came with him his shoulder was bitten and-"

"I've heard enough," Levi mutters. He slides his blades into their holders. "Anyone know how to treat this?"

"I do," Christa says, stepping towards Hanji voluntarily. She takes a chair and pulls it up to Hanji, leaning down and listening to her heartbeat. Then, she feels around Hanji's head wound.

"I don't feel any dents," Christa says, obviously relieved. "Her heartbeat was somewhat steady with only a few falters. She should be fine for now. I'll stay with her tonight, just to make sure nothing happens."

"We should all probably hit the sack before its really morning," Ymir states. "What is it, 4 o'clock or something?"

"Yeah," Levi confirms, getting up I leave. "I'll go find the others and tell them to get to their corridors. You two, do the same." And with that he's gone.

"You'll be okay by yourself, Christa?" Ymir asks, looking ready to stay with her.

"I'll be fine," she replies. "Just shut the door in case there's any Titans left."

"Okay," Ymir says. "See you later."

We close the door behind us, and walk towards the stairway leading a floor down to our rooms. She's the last one, so I end up walking alone to my room, which is third.

When I open it, everything is exactly where I left it, not that I expected it to be moved. I slowly take off my maneuver gear and set it on a chair, not willing to go downstairs and put it in the storage departments just yet. Then, I slip the harness off me and place that on my dresser.

Too tired to do anything else, I collapsed onto my bed, totally overwhelmed of everything that happened today. But soon sleep finds me, and I'm drifting off.

* * *

"They aren't real," Olive says, patting me on the back. "They aren't real."

"They shouldn't be real," I reply.

"They aren't," Olive says. "So quit your whining and let's get home."

We jump down from the rooftop, onto a grassy plain. The building disappear, and instead the grass in stains with blood.

We keep on walking.

Suddenly, a Titan comes out of nowhere, and we scream frantically, but the Titan manages to scoop Olive up, and out hands are yanked apart helplessly.

"OLIVE!" I scream, and I try to run towards her, but I can't move. I can't even close my eyes as I watch helplessly.

The Titan lifts her to its mouth, and, grinning with satisfaction, it lowers her slowly into its mouth, almost as if it knows I'm watching. I scream and cry and call her name over and over, but I watch, horrified, as the Titan suddenly snaps its mouth shut, cutting her legs and torso off completely. And the sound. The sickening crush, the cry of pain before it was cut off completely.

"OLIVE!" I scream again as the blood sprays out, drops raining down on my face, my cloths.

My sister's blood.

Olive's blood.

"OLIVE!"

This time I'm answered, but not by Olive. Someone distant, yet familiar.

Suddenly my eyes flutter open. Two hands are gripping my shoulders, shaking me. I look up and see that it's a boy with brown hair and green eyes. I grip the sleeves of his shirt and look around frantically.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" I scream, being to panic. She couldn't possibly died! No! No, not Olive!

The boy suddenly takes me by the arms and gives me a rough shake. "Kyla! It's me, Eren! You're okay."

I focus in on him, and I do realize it is him. But instill can't help but shaking uncontrollably as the images come back at me in a wave of sorrow and fear. I begin to cry into his shoulder, just wanting to disappear. Now would be the perfect time.

"I need to save Olive," I mumble softly.

"It's okay. No ones in danger. You're safe," Eren assures me. He begins to rock me back and forth, which makes me cry more, and wrap my arms tightly around him. He'll protect me. I'm sure of it.

* * *

I hear the chirping of birds, and I feel myself waking up. Yawning, I open my eyes. I'm still in my room, and nothing has changed except for the fact that Eren is sitting on the other side of my bed, looking like he had just woken up, too.

I blush. So that part of my dream was real. Now I'm really embarrassed.

I move slightly, and Eren turns around to face me.

"Morning," he says casually.

"Morning," I reply, sitting up. I run the back of my head, trying the think of something to say.

"Wanna go get breakfast?" I ask. Wow. Real smooth, Kyla. Stupid!

"Sure," he replies, getting up. I follow him out and down the stairs. The same long table is set out just like lunch yesterday, and the same groups as usual, except Christa isn't there. Armin and Mikasa have saved us seats. His arm is up in a slang, with his shoulder bandaged up. He looks like a mess.

"Morning, Eren. Morning, Kyla," Armin greets us as we slide into our seats. He smiles at us.

"Heard you had this horrible nightmare last night," Armin says a little hesitantly.

I nod. "Yeah."

"You were screaming to word Olive over and over," Eren points out. "Who is she?"

I bite my lip. "She's my, um, sister."

"Sister? You have siblings?" Eren asks, suddenly interested.

"Just one," I reply. Then I shake my head. "I'd rather not talk about it, okay? It's more on the personal level."

"Oh," Eren and Armin say at the same time. They look at each other, but otherwise drop the topic.

We eat in silence until all a sudden, Christa burst down the stairs in a rushed manner and stops at the tables, face flushed and panting wildly.

I suck in my breath. This can't be good. Do I even want to hear it? I'm about to cover my ears when Christa shouts. "Corporal!"

Levi gets up from a table and follows Christa up the stairs. We all wait in silence, wondering all the possibilities.

"So," I say, trying to change the gloomy mood. "Armin, how's your shoulder?"

He looks up, almost looking startled at the sudden subject-change, but nods. "Fine. Still hurts a lot, but not as much."

I nod slowly. I look at Eren, who's nervously picking at his food. Mikasa isn't eating at all, simply staring at the stairs we all hope Christa and Levi descend with good news. No one talks at all for a good 10 minutes as we wait.

Then, our pleas are answered by the sound of rushed footsteps. Levi appears first, and I try to study his expression to know what's going on, but, as usual, it's unreadable. But as Christa appears, she looks like she's about to cry, which sends shivers down my spine.

When they reach the floor we're on, Levi clears his throat. "Alright, cadets. I need one of you to go get a horse. Now."

No one moves. "B-but why, Corporal?" Jean asks, breaking the silence.

Levi sighs. "If you want to know so badly, then here you have it. Hanji isn't waking up. She's in some sort of coma, and we need medical assistance as soon as possible."

Then he takes a deep breath. "If we wait too long, Hanji will die."


	15. Chapter 15

**15**

All of us, even though some have considered it, are obviously shell-shocked. I refuse to believe it at first- Hanji can't die. She's Hanji- a squad leader of the survey corps, the one and only Titan obsessor. But then, a doubt creeps into me and tears well up as I realize the possibility. The possibility that she could die. That's what makes me stand up first.

"I'll do it, Corporal," I announce.

Levi raises an eyebrow. "You have training to do. You would barely defend yourself against the Titans if you were attacked."

I bite my lip, not having any comebacks for that. It's true, I'd be nothing but an easy snack for them if I encountered them, and then what use would I be?

"I'll go with her," Eren suddenly shouts, standing up. "Corporal, you'll allow that, right?"

Levi considers this, then nods. "Eren, just make sure you don't transform. The last thing I want is to loose both of you."

"Yes, sir!" Eren says.

I glance at everyone else. They are all staring at us, probably wondering why I, out of everyone else, wanted to go on this sudden mission. Most of the reason is because I want to help Hanji. I don't want her to... die. A little bit is also because I want to escape this place for a while. See the town again.

"You better head out now," Levi orders us, waving his hand. "We have no idea how much time we have left. Put your maneuver gear on; you too, Kyla. Make sure you are at a at least half-gas level."

"Yes, sir!" We say in unison. Then we both run upstairs to our rooms. I slip the harness on, this time knowing where all the buckles and straps are supposed to go. Then I tie my hair back and head back downstairs. Everyone must of cleared out lunch, because no one else is there except Eren, who is fixing the maneuver gear onto himself.

"Do you need help with yours?" he asks as I carry the gear out from the storage room.

"Yeah, thanks," I say. Thank god I didn't have to ask.

Eren comes over to me and latches the gear onto my back, and then attaches the big silver boxes that hold the replacement blades. As he's working on that, my hands suddenly begin to shake. Out of nervousness, or fear, I don't know. But I try to hide them from Eren, failing miserably.

"I'm sure Hanji will be fine," Eren assures me, patting my shoulder, but even I can hear the doubt in his voice. We both saw her. We both know how bad it was.

When we're done with that, we head out towards the stables. I select a bay horse, and Eren takes a black one. We mount, and then head out without another word. We know how urgent the situation is, so we won't waste our time talking.

We ride for a few hours and nothing unusual happens. Pretty much just the boring flat plains that we crossed to get to the fortress.

"Kyla," Eren says quickly. "Do you hear that?"

I listen, and at first I only hear the rustling of the wind, but then I hear it. Pounding footsteps. Those of a Titan. I turn around, and gasp. A towering Titan is running after us, a creepy grin spread from ear to ear. By the looks of it, it's at least 15 meters. And it's going fast.

"Eren!" I shout, hysteria creeping into my voice. "What do we do?!"

He thinks for a moment, and then nods to himself. "Kyla! Listen to me! You have to move quick but-"

His voice is cut off by one of the Titan's foot slamming down between us. I scream as my horse looses it balance and is thrown into the air. I scream and flail around, trying to somehow stop this.

As I hit the ground, black dots splatter my vision. I choke up blood and cough like crazy as I bounce and roll until I finally come to a stop in the long grass. I hear Eren call my name but everything hurts to much to respond.

My eyes flicker around me and I see blood pooling around me. This is great. Just great. Now we'll never make it back to Trost in time! And Hanji will...

I clench my fists. No. Get up, Kyla! I dig my bruised fingers into the ground and will myself to stand. I refuse to die here.

Suddenly I hear the Titan nearing me. Fear shoots up my spine and I freeze up.

What was I thinking?

Was I insane when I made the decision?! I'm going to die in this hell.

I snap back into reality and cry out with whatever strength I have left. Heart thumping, I painfully crane my head to focus on the Titan looming ahead of me, still evilly grinning. Then, it's grin falters, and the body goes limp. To my relief, Eren's able to kill it swiftly. Then he comes running up to me.

"Kyla!" He shouts, shaking my shoulders. "Answer me!"

I moan a little, and that seems enough for him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I promise."

He lifts me into a sitting position, and begins feeling around for any broken bones. When he presses against my wounded hand, though, it hurts more than ever and I give out a sharp cry. He jolts back his hand. "Sorry."

Thankfully nothing else seems to be broken, just severely bruised. He helps me stand, and we walk over to his horse, the only one we have now. I cough a little.

Slowly and steadily Eren helps me onto the saddle first, then he climbs on after me, taking the reins and kicking the horse, setting us off again.

I look back at the Titan's withering body. A shiver shoots through my whole body, causing me to tremble. I froze up. I didn't do anything. If it wasn't for Eren, I'd be eaten by now. Gone forever. I push the thought to the back of my head and lock it up. I can't believe that I'm going to die, or else I'll never muster up the courage to face those bloody murderers. Just believe you won't die and you're halfway there, I tell myself. The rest depends on how well I'll adjust to the maneuver gear.

A few more hours pass, and I see it. The big, looming wall. Wall Rose. It stretches in both directions as far as the eye can see, only curving slightly near the ends. As the wall get bigger and bigger ahead of us, more and more hope arises in me that Hanji will be okay. That she will live, at least.

"Oi!" says a member of the Garrison- those guys with the two rose sign- as we approach the gate. "What are you two doing here?!"

"We're here on an urgent request!" Eren says. "Please let us in!"

The Garrison member walks up to us, patting our tired-out horse. "And just what mission is that, eh?"

"Squad Leader Hanji of the Survey Corps is on her death bed and in desperate need of medical attention!" Eren shouts at him. "Now let us in!"

The man considers this, then nods at a few others who are at the operating panels. "Let 'em in, boys!"

They crank up the gate just enough for us to wedge through, and we race off, heading towards the center of the district.

"Do you know where a doctor lives?" I ask, barely audible.

Eren hears me though, and responds, "The closest one is around here. I remember passing his house when me and the 104th Trainee Squad were heading towards the wall for patrol. Hopefully he still lives there."

As desperate as he sounds, Eren seems quite determined that the doctor lives here, so I decide to believe him.

Eren pulls up our horse outside an old brick building, older than the ones surrounding it, and it seems almost like an outcast compare to them. And seems like the house is sulking itself as if something horrific had gone down inside an it does not want to spill the secrets. I shiver nervously.

"You can walk, right?" Eren asks, dismounting the horse. His eyes flash uncertainty for a moment, but it's so quick I barely notice it.

"Yeah," I reply, stepping off the horse. I wince when my bruise feet connect with the hard cement ground, but I manage to stand. When I look up, Eren nods and then walks up to the door.

"Hello?" he calls, pounding his fist on the door. "Anybody!"

The house is silent, but then we both hear the shuffling of heavy footsteps and keys being shoved into the door. Abruptly it stops and the door is yanked open only so much that I can make out an eye, dark and grey, some black hair, and a worried expression.

"Gah!" the man exclaims. He quickly shuts the door.

Eren raises his eyebrow. "W-what? Hey!" He pounds his fist on the door. "Open up!"

"I didn't do anything! I swear!" the man cries from the other side. "Tell Nile I'm innocent!"

Something clicks. Nile? Isn't that the commander of the Military Police?

"We're alone, goddammit!" Eren shouts.

"Why should I trust you! You're probably spies for him! Leave me alone!"

Eren's face contracts in anger. His fists clench and he slams them into the wooden door again. "Please! We need to see the doctor! We need urgent help!"

The man behind the door doesn't say anything. Instead, he sighs. "Come closer to the door so I can see your faces," he murmurs.

I look at Eren, nervousness taking over. Who does he think we are? Military Police? Didn't Nile mention they only serve in the interior, not in an outer district like this?

"Fine," Eren replies sharply. "But don't try anything." And then he leans his face towards the slight crack in the doorway. The man on the other side gasps.

"Why are you here?!" He cries, almost sounded panicked.

This time, I speak before Eren can. "Sir! Our squad leader, Hanji Zoe, is in desperate need of medical attention. Could you please direct us to the doctor that lives here?"

The man sighs. "I am." And then he opens the door, his face solemn. "Take me if you will, Mr. Jaeger."

Both of us are taken aback. Eren grits his teeth, then yells at him, "How do you know me?!"

The man looks up, a look of hope flashing before his eyes. "You mean, you're not here to take me?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Eren exclaims. Then he sighs. "You have a horse of your own?"

"Yes, and another for the lady," the doctor replies.

"Please," Eren says, "come with us to our fortress. Squad Leader Hanji was caught in a deadly mishap and ended up severely wounded. You can treat head wounds, I'm assuming?"

"Yes," the doctor replies. All a sudden, his fright is gone and replaced with a rather jolly mood. "Well! Let us fetch the horses! I'm not sure my old gal would keep up with your speed-bred stallion, but it'll be something, eh?"

Eren and I both look at each other, uncertain what to think of the doctor's sudden mood change. But we're both determined to get the doctor to Hanji as soon as possible, so we decide to drop it for now and get going.

The doctor leads us around his gloomy house into the backyard, where an almost mini-stable and barn lies. A young lady, maybe a bit older than me with reddish brown hair tied neatly in a loose ponytail behind her, is stacking hay next to the faded red wood.

"Anya!" the doctor calls. "I'm off! Look after the animals, if you please!"

The girl, Anya, nods. "Yes, papa!"

"Could you get the black horse out for this young lady?" the doctor asks, placing- no, more like slamming- his hand onto my houser so suddenly I jump.

Anya nods and catching my eye. Her eyes are the same as her fathers- dark and mysterious. Somewhat untrustworthy. But that's just my nerves, after all. Hanji's severe state is making me jumpy.

"You're in the Scouting Legion," Anya murmurs abruptly, interrupting my train of thought.

I bite my lip. "Well, not officially yet, but-"

"What's it like out there?" Anya blurts. She quickly covers her mouth, but is grinning. "Sorry. My father said not to discuss it. But it sounds so interesting..." she giggles. "Please," she says, grabbing my sleeve. "Tell me."

I begin to feel uneasily. The grin on her face, the grip on my sleeve, and the mysterious look in her eyes make her seem insane, almost. Instead, I try to change the subject as her grip loosens and we approach the horse's stall.

"Your dad was scared of us when we came to his door," I say slowly.

"Yeah," Anya replies. "He's always like that- ha! Thinking the Military Police will come for him!" She does that weird laugh again.

I try to laugh along with her, but it just makes me more creeped out. We get the horse out of the stall. He's a tall, sturdy bred horse, one meant for hauling goods, not running from Titans. But it will do for now.

"My pop has always thought that people would find out about his experiments," Anya says suddenly. She looks into the horse's eyes, as if searching for something. "People like the Military Police. But I kept telling him it wasn't him they were after. Ha! Wasn't him at all."

"T-then who was it?" I ask slowly.

Anya turns to face me. "Ah, I don't know his last name, but there was a man who would always invite pop over to his house. They did their experimenting shit over at his house. The name was Grisha, I think."

I raise my eyebrow. Grisha? I've heard that somewhere, somewhere... then it clicks. Grisha. Grisha Jaeger. Eren's father.

_Eren's father._


	16. Chapter 16

**16**

I stare at the girl for a moment, completely baffled. Grisha? Grisha! That's Eren's father's name, I'm sure of it! But, Anya said this, this doctor and Grisha were doing... experiments?!

"Oi!" Anya exclaims, grabbing the sides of my head. "You in there? Hello!"

I blink, and push her away. I don't want to be here anymore. I look over Anya's shoulder to tell Eren we're going, but he's not there. Panic surges through my veins. Where did he go? Did the doctor take him?!

"Eren!" I scream, running past Anya and out into the backyard. Still no sign of him. "_Eren_!"

I turn around to check if he's in the barn when I collide face-first with him. We both go crashing to the ground.

"Kyla, are you alright?" he asks me, rubbing his head where I hit it.

I slow down my breathing. "Y-yes. But we have to-"

"Hey!" Anya interrupts me, leaning down so her hair blocks Eren's face off. "You wanna get your horse or what?" Then she thrusts a pair of reins into my face, which are connected to the horse.

I grasp the reins so hard my knuckles turn white as I get off the ground. I get up and decide not to speak of Eren's father until we're back at the fortress. Eren and I go out front, Anya trailing behind us.

I bring the horse around the front and find the doctor mounting his horse, holding a large black briefcase which I'm assuming is his medical supplies. Eren takes his horse from the pole he tied it to and gracefully swings onto its saddle.

"Were you planning on riding bare-back?" Anya mutters, suddenly right behind me with a saddle in hand. God, she's so damn quiet!

"N-no," I stammer. I watch her uncertainly as she saddles the horse. Could she be part of the doctor and Grisha's experiments? Is that why she's so... different?

"Ya know," Anya says, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Someday, I'm gonna be out there. With you guys." She turns and reaches out, grabs one of my straps for my harness, and drags me closer to her so that I can hear her breathe. "And wearing these, too."

"Anya," the doctor says sharply. Anya grins and let's go of me. I rub the spot where she touched me as if she had poisoned it.

"Alright, we've already lost valuable time," Eren mutters. He eyes Anya, then turns his horse. "Come on, let's go!"

As we race off, Anya calls out, "See ya on the battlefield!" When I turn my head to wave to her, she's already shutting the door of the old house. God, that girl is quick, too.

When we reach the gates, the Garrison let us through, probably recognizing us from earlier. I breathe a sigh of relief. It's been too long, my head whispers. We've been away too long...

Eren's horse, of course, is a lot faster then my horse and the doctors since it's a military horse- so he's a few yards in front of us at all times, keeping watch for any lurking Titans. These horses wouldn't be able to outrun them- so our best chance of survival is to try and completely ignore them. And since the horses are slower, we're taking at least 50% more time than it took to get to the walls.

I slap my hand onto my forehead. It would've been rational to take at least one extra horse! What were we thinking, that the doctor would have his own speed-bred horse? Stupid!

"These horses need a break!" the doctor calls out to Eren, patting his horse's neck. "They won't take much longer!"

"We're almost there!" Eren shouts, pressing on. "Only a few more miles!"

"They'll die of exhaustion!" the doctor pleads.

I turn my head to face him. His dark eyes catch mine. "Listen," I say, my voice shaking, "one of my friends is dying only a few miles away. If you think we'd stop now, you must be drunk."

The man bites his lip, and shakes his head, not saying another word. I pat my horse's neck. The thing is panting and gasping in short, quick breaths, but it keeps running.

"I promise you, it'll all be over soon," I whisper.

"I see it!" Eren shouts, his voice full of hope. I squint my eyes and see a mass of trees ahead of us. If you look very closely, you can see the outline of the highest tower of the castle just arising from the treetops. A wide grin erupts throughout my face. We'll make it! We'll really make it!

Just then, my horse lets out a horrible sound, trips, and falls. I scream as it rolls on top of me, crushing me under its heavy weight, nearly pushing all the air out of me.

"H-hey!" Eren shouts, halting his horse. "Kyla!"

I clench my teeth, trying desperately to breath. Not only has the horse's weight knocked all my breath out, but it's also pressing against all my bruises from earlier, which makes it all the better.

Eren and the doctor come trotting up to me. Eren swings off his horse and kneels down beside me. "What happened?"

"The horse- it just gave up," I say between forced breaths.

Eren doesn't waste anytime and grabs both my hands, yanking me out from under the animal. I regain my frets and wobble a little, trying to get feeling back into them.

"It's dead," the doctor murmurs. Eren and I turn around to see him kneeling down next to it's chest. He looks at us, eyes watering. "You bastards! I told you they were going to die."

Eren opens his mouth, but then closes it when he see's the man's feeling towards the horse. I look at it and feel nothing, which makes me feel guilty. A living thing just died. But a horse's death is the least of our concerns.

I walk over to the doctor and place a hand on his shoulder. He looks at me with a flare in his eyes. I gulp.

"I'm sorry about your horse," I say quickly. "But we have to move on. Please."

The man's expression softens. "I guess you're right."

We mount the remaining two horses, Eren and I sharing a horse once again. By now I'm used to it, and I wrap my arms around his waist without the a badasses factor. And we're off once again, in the final stretch of the journey.

Hang in there, Hanji. We're coming. I promise.

It takes us about another half hour, since the doctor's horse could only trot and we didn't want to endanger it of dying to, much to Eren's objection. But we made it.

When we arrive at the opening that leads into the courtyard, I see two figures sitting near the large double doors that lead inside. I squint my eyes, and see a small, blonde girl standing next to a taller brunette one. Christa and Ymir. When they see us, Christa waves happily and dashes towards us, Ymir not far behind her.

"I'm so glad you made it back!" Christa exclaims as she approaches us. She spots all my bruises. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine," I reply, running my hand over one of my arms. "What we need to worry about is Hanji."

"Right," Eren says, dismounting his horse. "Christa and Ymir, can you take our horses so we can get the doctor in to Hanji as soon as possible?"

Christa nods, and grasps the reins of Eren and I's horse. Ymir takes the doctors, and we rush inside, the doctor's briefcase rattles throughout the hallways. My heart is thumping. Please be okay, Hanji. Please.

I'm the first to reach Hanji's room. I grasp the door handle and start to yank it open when a hand is on my wrist, stopping me. I look up, expecting to see Eren, but instead find the doctor.

"Please," he says evenly, "I do my work best when I'm not pressured by other's presence."

"But she's our squad leader!" I protest, struggling under his grip.

"I won't treat her unless I'm alone," the man states.

I grit my teeth. _My pop has always thought that people would find out about his experiments. _I look into the man's eyes, searching for any sigh that he might harm Hanji. I look over my shoulder and see Eren, his expression questioning.

"If I hear anything," I mutter, "I'm coming in."

The man bites his lip, but then smiles and holds out his hand. "That's a deal, miss."

I look at his hand, and take it, shaking. Then the doctor opens the door, and for a second I catch a glimpse of Hanji, laying soundly in her bed, and the next second the door is closed. I stand in front of it for a few minutes, hoping I made the right choice.

Eren places a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," I reply.

"We've done everything we can. All we can do is wait."

I nod, and sit down next to Hanji's room, pulling my hands up to chest. "I'm staying here until the doctor comes out."

"Why?"

"I just-" I cut myself off. I don't need Eren worrying about the doctor's past like I do. I'll tell him after the doctor has gone back to Wall Rose.

Eren sighs, then turns. "I'm gonna go see how everyone else is going. You'll be okay by yourself?"

"Yeah."

Once Eren's gone, I scramble over to the door and press my ear against it's wooden frame, listening ever so closely. I grit my teeth in frustration when I don't hear anything except the creaking of the wood underneath the doctor's feet.

"Kyla?"

I jump and whirl around to see Armin, carrying a tray of food. That's only when I realize how hungry I am, and I smile at him.

"Eren told me you were determined to stay here, so I brought you lunch," Armin states. He sets down the tray next to me and then sits down. I attack the food, probably having it done it a world record's time if Sasha hang already taken it.

"Thanks so much," I say, licking my fingers when I'm done.

"Your welcome," Armin says, turning his head towards me. "You must be really worried about Hanji, aren't you?"

I stop. Worried? I'm terrified. I don't exactly trust that man with her, since he did experiments, with Grisha, Eren's father... all of this, on top of being trained for the Survey Corps, on top of being stuck in this world- it's putting me through a lot of stress. But I can't tell Armin the last part- only Hanji and Levi know about it.

"Kyla?" Armin asks worriedly. "Did I go to far?"

"N-no!" I say, blinking. "Just stressed out. No biggie."

"We all were when we were going through the training procedure, trust me on that," Armin replies. "It'll all pay off, though. I think you'll be a good soldier."

"Thanks," I say blushing. "I'm not that good, though. Certainly not as good as any of you." I open my mouth to say more, but then I stop, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I heard it- the faintest sound, but I heard it. I jerk up.

"What is it?!" Armin cries, watching me grab the door handle violently.

"Hanji!" I say sharply, and I yank the door open, slamming it against the wall, sending some papers flying. The doctor is leaning over her, holding something thin and sharp in his hand. A needle. Once he hears me, his head turns, and he smiles.

"Ah, hello, Kyla," he murmurs. "Just in time, too."

Before I can think, before I can open my mouth to say anything, a sliver blur goes whizzing past my head and I'm jerked back, pinned on the wall behind me. He threw a knife and it nailed my maneuver gear harness. Sweat runs down his forehead. He has flawless aim.

"Kyla!" a strangled cry. Armin. I open my mouth to warn him but it's too late- the doctor sends a knife flying at him too, this time penetrating Armin's injured shoulder, making him scream in agony.

"_Armin_!"

"Goddammit, child!" the doctor rages. His needle is lifted away from Hanji, and his dark eyes seem to focus on me. My heart skips a beat, and my hand flies up to the knife holding me down. Get out. Get out now!

"You see, this works better on younger patients," the doctor mumbles as he starts to walk towards me. "You'll have to forgive me. I just have to try it, just once."

"Stay away!" I scream frantically, my sweaty palms clasping around the knife's handle, yanking as hard as I can, only to find my hands slipping. The doctor gets closer by the second. "I said _stay back_!"

"Oi!" someone shouts, I whip my head to the side and see the gang entering the room, Eren dashing towards the doctor and ramming him down, followed closely by Mikasa and Jean. I see Ymir and Christa aiding Armin while Sasha and Connie come towards me, eyes wide and frightened. Probably not as frantic as mine.

"Are you okay?" Sasha asks me quickly as Connie works at the blade. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"N-n-" I'm too shell-shocked terrified to speak, so I shake my head ever so slightly. That's when I realize how horribly shaking I am. I will myself to stop and can't. I can't do anything.

"Hey!" Connie yells, waving his hand in front of my face. "You there? Hello!"

I blink, and that's enough for him. I turn my head again, and see Eren trying to restrain the doctor, while Mikasa is looking over Hanji. Hanji. It feels like a punch in the stomach. Is she okay? He didn't hurt her, did he? Is he even...

"You bastard!" Eren shouts, swinging his fist at the doctor. "What the hell were you thinking?! I hate you!"

"Eren!" Mikasa yells.

I look away, turning towards Armin. Christa looks like she's screaming at him to respond while Ymir is trying to lift his unconscious body into her shoulder. I can't hear. I look at Connie and Sasha. They're both shouting at me, but I can't hear.

The room gets blurry. I can't stay awake much longer, so I slump against the wall, and greet the oncoming darkness.


End file.
